2000
#12,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Gauger
An occupational surname for a craftsman who made or used measuring instruments or acted as a public assayer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,301 Americans carry the last name Gauger. That puts it at #14,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gauger 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,959
Census rank
#14,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,007 bearers of the surname Gauger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gauger
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gauger 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 Gauger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,869
- Two or more races2.8% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gauger
Gauger 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
#12,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,374
+75 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 552 places
2020
#14,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
-367 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,389 | 2,299 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,941 | 2,374 | 0.80 | +75 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 552 places |
| 2020 | #14,339 | 2,007 | 0.67 | -367 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 1,398 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 Gauger 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 | #12,941 | #14,339 | -10.8% |
| Count | 2,374 | 2,007 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.67 | -16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gauger bearers went from 2,374 to 2,007 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 1,398 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,941 to #14,339.
FAQ
Gauger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gauger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,301 living Americans carry the surname Gauger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,959 residents.
How common is Gauger?
Gauger ranks #14,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,007 people with the surname Gauger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gauger.
Has Gauger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gauger went from 2,374 recorded bearers to 2,007. That is a decrease of 367 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,941 to #14,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Gauger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Gauger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,869 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gauger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Gauger (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 Gauger mean?
An occupational surname for a craftsman who made or used measuring instruments or acted as a public assayer. 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 Gauger (0.67 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 have the last name Gauger?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Gauger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.