2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Egar
A surname meaning "industrious" or "eager" derived from the Old Norse word "ogr".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Egar. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Egar surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Egar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Egar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Egar, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.8%) and Black (14.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Egar
The surname EGAR is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. The name is believed to derive from the Old English word "egar," which means "dweller by the inlet of water" or "one who lives near a stream or sea inlet."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname EGAR can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 mentions a John Egar, while the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 list a Robert Egar.
The name EGAR was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where many families bearing this surname resided in coastal areas or near inlets and estuaries. Some variations of the spelling included Eger, Egger, and Egare, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal tendencies of the time.
One notable historical figure with the surname EGAR was Sir William Egar, a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the 16th century. Born around 1520, he served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1572 and played a significant role in the city's governance and trade affairs.
Another individual of note was John Egar, a renowned English theologian and scholar who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He studied at the University of Oxford and later became the Rector of St. Peter's Church in Wigan, Lancashire, where he made significant contributions to religious and intellectual discourse.
In the realm of literature, the name EGAR is associated with Edith Egar, an English novelist and poet who lived from 1859 to 1935. Her works, including the novels "The Heir of Egar" and "The Egar Chronicles," explored themes of family, inheritance, and the English countryside.
The surname EGAR also has connections to the United States, as evidenced by individuals such as Samuel Egar, a prominent businessman and philanthropist in New York City during the late 19th century. Born in 1835, he made his fortune in the textile industry and was known for his charitable contributions to various educational and cultural institutions.
It is worth noting that the surname EGAR, while not among the most common in English-speaking regions, has maintained a presence throughout history, with families bearing this name contributing to various aspects of society, from commerce and politics to literature and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Egar
Among Census respondents with the surname Egar, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.8%) and Black (14.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Egar bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Egar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.7% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.8% · 22
- Black or African American14.4% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Egar
Egar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,796 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-13 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,796 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 13,072 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Egar surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #135,593 | #148,665 | -9.6% |
| Count | 124 | 111 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Egar bearers went from 124 to 111 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 13,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #148,665.
FAQ
Egar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Egar?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Egar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Egar?
Egar ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Egar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Egar.
Has Egar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Egar went from 124 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Egar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Egar, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.8%) and Black (14.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Egar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Egar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.8%), Black (14.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Egar (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Egar mean?
A surname meaning "industrious" or "eager" derived from the Old Norse word "ogr". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Egar (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Egar?
If you just want to know how many people are called Egar, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.