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

Geiger, 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 Geiger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Geiger in America

Geiger is the 1634th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Geiger surname appeared 22,039 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Geiger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Geiger 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 Geiger

The surname Geiger originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "geigen," which means "to play the fiddle." The name likely referred to a professional fiddler or musician who played the violin or a similar stringed instrument.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, often spelled as "Geigere" or "Geygere." One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the "Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli," a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland, dating back to around 1250.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Geiger became more widespread across German-speaking regions, particularly in Bavaria and Saxony. In 1436, a certain Hans Geiger was mentioned in the municipal records of the city of Nuremberg, indicating the presence of the name in urban areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Geiger include Johannes Geiger (1521-1595), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden. Another prominent figure was Balthasar Geiger (1557-1619), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt.

In the 17th century, the name Geiger appeared in various places, such as the town of Geigerthal (now Geigerthal-Angellochau) in Saxony, which likely derived its name from the presence of individuals with the surname Geiger in the area.

Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, several distinguished individuals bore the name Geiger, including Johann Gottfried Geiger (1751-1824), a German theologian and philosopher, and Philipp Lorenz Geiger (1785-1836), a German historian and philologist who made important contributions to the study of German literature and language.

Another notable figure was Abraham Geiger (1810-1874), a prominent German Jewish scholar and one of the founders of the Reform Judaism movement. He served as a rabbi in various communities and advocated for the modernization of Jewish practices and beliefs.

As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions through migration and immigration. For example, in the late 19th century, Johann Geiger (1858-1924), a German-born engineer and inventor, emigrated to the United States, where he became known for his contributions to the development of early electrical technologies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Geiger

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

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 Geiger 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 Geiger 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 Geiger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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