2000
#10,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Hagar
A Biblical surname of Hebrew origin, referring to Hagar, the mother of Ishmael and handmaid of Sarah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,969 Americans carry the last name Hagar. That puts it at #11,603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hagar 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 Hagar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,444
Census rank
#11,603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,589 bearers of the surname Hagar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hagar
The surname Hagar has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic language. It is derived from the name Hagar, which was the name of Abraham's concubine in the Bible. The name itself means "stranger" or "foreigner" in Arabic.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hagar can be traced back to the 12th century in parts of the Levant, particularly in areas that are now modern-day Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. During this time, it was not uncommon for people to take on surnames based on religious figures or names from the Bible.
In the 13th century, records show the surname Hagar appearing in various European countries, such as England, France, and Germany. This was likely due to the spread of Christianity and the influence of the Bible on naming traditions. The name may have been adopted by individuals or families who felt a connection to the Biblical figure or wanted to express their religious devotion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hagar in England can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a person named William Hagar is mentioned. This suggests that the surname had already established itself in parts of England by the late 13th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Hagar throughout history include:
1. John Hagar (1633-1712), an early American settler and one of the founders of Watertown, Massachusetts.
2. Phoebe Hagar (1775-1852), an American school teacher and one of the first female principals in New England.
3. Stansbury Hagar (1797-1858), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California.
4. Hermann Hagar (1862-1924), a German-American chemist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of analytical chemistry.
5. Sammy Hagar (born 1947), an American rock singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of the band Van Halen.
While the surname Hagar may have originated in the Middle East and had early roots in Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and the establishment of new communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the Arabic name Hagar and its Biblical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hagar
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hagar 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 Hagar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 2,269
- Two or more races4.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 96
- Black or African American2.7% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hagar
Hagar 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
#10,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,075
+239 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#11,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,589
-486 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 1,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,416 | 2,836 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,458 | 3,075 | 1.04 | +239 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #11,603 | 2,589 | 0.87 | -486 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 1,145 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 Hagar 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 | #10,458 | #11,603 | -10.9% |
| Count | 3,075 | 2,589 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.87 | -16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hagar bearers went from 3,075 to 2,589 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 1,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,458 to #11,603.
FAQ
Hagar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hagar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,969 living Americans carry the surname Hagar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,444 residents.
How common is Hagar?
Hagar ranks #11,603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,589 people with the surname Hagar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,969), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Hagar.
Has Hagar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hagar went from 3,075 recorded bearers to 2,589. That is a decrease of 486 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,458 to #11,603.
What does the Census say about the background of Hagar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagar, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hagar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (2,269 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hagar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Hagar (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 Hagar mean?
A Biblical surname of Hebrew origin, referring to Hagar, the mother of Ishmael and handmaid of Sarah. 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 Hagar (0.87 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 Hagar?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Hagar at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.