Find out how popular the last name Gauger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gauger.

Gauger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gauger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gauger in America

Gauger is the 12941st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gauger surname appeared 2,374 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gauger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gauger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gauger

The surname Gauger originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "gougierer," which referred to a gauger or an official who measured and inspected the contents of casks, barrels, and other containers holding liquids, primarily for tax purposes.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Gauger can be found in medieval German records and documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Hans Gauger, a wine gauger from the city of Nuremberg, who was mentioned in official records from the year 1412.

In the 16th century, the Gauger surname appeared in the town of Esslingen am Neckar, where a family of wine merchants and gaugers resided. Notable among them was Johann Gauger (1524-1598), a successful merchant and respected citizen who served as a town councilor.

As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Gaugher, Gaucher, and Gauker, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. The surname also appeared in places like Saxony, where Johann Christoph Gauger (1681-1754), a renowned theologian and professor at the University of Leipzig, hailed from.

In the 18th century, the Gauger surname made its way to other parts of Europe, including France and England. One notable bearer was Jean-Baptiste Gauger (1756-1822), a French military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Legion of Honor for his bravery.

The name also found its way to the British Isles, where it was recorded in various spellings, such as Gaugar and Gawger. One of the earliest recorded instances in England was that of William Gawger, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

As people migrated across the globe, the Gauger surname spread to other continents. In the United States, one of the earliest known bearers was Johann Georg Gauger (1736-1818), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent farmer and landowner.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Gauger surname, contributing to various fields such as academia, politics, and the arts. These include Johann Heinrich Gauger (1723-1799), a German theologian and philosopher; Karl Gauger (1854-1928), an Austrian politician; and Heinz Gauger (1928-2012), a German author and literary critic.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gauger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gauger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gauger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gauger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gauger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gauger, please contact us.

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