2000
#7,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Hagedorn
A German and Dutch surname referring to someone who lived near a hawthorn hedge or thorny bush.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,540 Americans carry the last name Hagedorn. That puts it at #8,029 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,497 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hagedorn 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
4.5K
1 in 75,497
Census rank
#8,029
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,959 bearers of the surname Hagedorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8029th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagedorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hagedorn
The surname Hagedorn is of German origin, derived from the Old German words "hagen" meaning "hedge" and "dorn" meaning "thorn." It was initially a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a thorny hedge or in an area with many thorny bushes.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Hagedorn can be traced back to the 13th century in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Hamburg and Lower Saxony. It was also found in various medieval records and documents, such as the Stadtbücher (city books) of Lübeck from the 14th century.
One notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Hagedorn, a merchant and alderman in the city of Lübeck, who lived in the late 14th century. Another prominent figure was the German poet and writer Friedrich von Hagedorn (1708-1754), who was born in Hamburg and is considered a significant figure in the German literary movement known as the Galante Poesie.
In the 16th century, the name Hagedorn appeared in various records in the Duchy of Pomerania, including the town of Stralsund. One individual of note from this time was Hans Hagedorn, a merchant and councillor in Stralsund, who lived in the mid-1500s.
The surname Hagedorn also has a long-standing history in the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Hagendoorn." One notable Dutch bearer of the name was Christiaan Hagedorn (1642-1712), a renowned painter and engraver from The Hague, known for his still-life paintings.
In the 18th century, the name Hagedorn gained prominence in the region of Schleswig-Holstein, which was then part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Christian Leberecht Hagedorn (1712-1780) was a notable German poet, literary critic, and art historian from this area, who served as the director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden.
As the name spread across various regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as "Hagedorn," "Hagendorn," and "Haagedoorn," reflecting local linguistic influences and dialects. However, the core meaning and origin of the surname remained consistent, tracing back to the Old German words for "hedge" and "thorn."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hagedorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagedorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hagedorn 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 Hagedorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,645
- Two or more races3.4% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hagedorn
Hagedorn 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
#8,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,116
-97 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 744 places
2020
#8,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,959
-157 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,296 | 4,213 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,040 | 4,116 | 1.40 | -97 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 744 places |
| 2020 | #8,029 | 3,959 | 1.32 | -157 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 11 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 Hagedorn 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 | #8,040 | #8,029 | 0.1% |
| Count | 4,116 | 3,959 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.32 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hagedorn bearers went from 4,116 to 3,959 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,040 to #8,029.
FAQ
Hagedorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hagedorn?
Name Census estimates that about 4,540 living Americans carry the surname Hagedorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,497 residents.
How common is Hagedorn?
Hagedorn ranks #8,029 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,959 people with the surname Hagedorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Hagedorn.
Has Hagedorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hagedorn went from 4,116 recorded bearers to 3,959. That is a decrease of 157 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,040 to #8,029.
What does the Census say about the background of Hagedorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagedorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hagedorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hagedorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hagedorn (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 Hagedorn mean?
A German and Dutch surname referring to someone who lived near a hawthorn hedge or thorny bush. 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 Hagedorn (1.32 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 share the surname Hagedorn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.