2000
#45,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 443
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Habiger
A German surname likely derived from Habig, meaning "hawk-like" or "raptor-like."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 558 Americans carry the last name Habiger. That puts it at #47,035 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 614,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Habiger 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
558
1 in 614,255
Census rank
#47,035
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
487
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 487 bearers of the surname Habiger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47035th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Habiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Habiger
The surname Habiger originates from Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Habicht," which means "hawk" or "falcon." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to a person who worked as a falconer or had some association with these birds of prey.
The earliest documented instance of the Habiger surname can be found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the northern part of Bavaria, Germany. In 1539, a man named Hans Habiger was mentioned in a local registry, indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 17th century, the Habiger family spread to other parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. One notable individual from this period was Johann Habiger, born in 1621 in the town of Jena, who became a respected Lutheran theologian and author.
The name Habiger also appeared in various historical records, such as church registers and land deeds, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. For instance, in 1795, a man named Friedrich Habiger was listed as a landowner in the village of Großhartmannsdorf, near Dresden.
Among the notable figures with the Habiger surname is August Habiger, a German artist born in 1842 in Dresden. He was known for his landscape paintings and played a significant role in the Dresden School of Art.
Another prominent individual was Carl Habiger, born in 1876 in Saxony, who became a renowned architect and engineer. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities during the early 20th century.
In the 20th century, Johannes Habiger, born in 1906 in Thuringia, gained recognition as a composer and music educator. He composed several orchestral works and taught at various music conservatories throughout his career.
While the Habiger surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Habiger
Among Census respondents with the surname Habiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Habiger 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 Habiger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 450
- Two or more races3.7% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Habiger
Habiger 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
#45,804
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 466
+23 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#47,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 487
+21 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 1,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #45,482 | 443 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,804 | 466 | 0.16 | +23 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #47,035 | 487 | 0.16 | +21 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 1,231 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 Habiger 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 | #45,804 | #47,035 | -2.7% |
| Count | 466 | 487 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.16 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Habiger bearers went from 466 to 487 (+4.5% change). The surname moved down 1,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,804 to #47,035.
FAQ
Habiger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Habiger?
Name Census estimates that about 558 living Americans carry the surname Habiger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 614,255 residents.
How common is Habiger?
Habiger ranks #47,035 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 487 people with the surname Habiger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Habiger.
Has Habiger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Habiger went from 466 recorded bearers to 487. That is an increase of 21 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,804 to #47,035.
What does the Census say about the background of Habiger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Habiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Habiger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (450 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Habiger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Habiger (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 Habiger mean?
A German surname likely derived from Habig, meaning "hawk-like" or "raptor-like." 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 Habiger (0.16 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 Americans have the surname Habiger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.