2000
#1,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,175
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.59
Uncommon Last name
Hagen
Derived from a German place name or a shortened form of Germanic personal names beginning with "hag" meaning "enclosure" or "hedged area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,450 Americans carry the last name Hagen. That puts it at #1,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,468 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hagen 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 Hagen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,468
Census rank
#1,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,194 bearers of the surname Hagen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hagen
The surname Hagen originates from Germany, with its earliest known use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "hagan," meaning "hedged area" or "enclosed land," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a fenced or hedged area.
Hagen is also closely associated with the city of Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which was first mentioned in historical records in 1109. It is possible that some Hagen families may have taken their name from this location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hagen appears in the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus," a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also found in the "Breviarium Ecclesiae Herbipolensis," a medieval manuscript from the Diocese of Würzburg, Germany, from the 14th century.
Hagen has been a prominent surname throughout German history, with several notable individuals bearing this name. One of the earliest was Meister Hagen, a German stonemason and architect who lived in the 13th century and is credited with designing the famous Erfurt Cathedral in Thuringia.
Another notable figure was Johann Hagen (1470-1537), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and a leading figure in the early Lutheran church.
In the field of science, Georg Hagen (1789-1856) was a prominent German mathematician and physicist known for his contributions to fluid mechanics. He formulated the Hagen-Poiseuille equation, which describes the laminar flow of fluids through a pipe.
In literature, Walter Hagen (1892-1969) was a renowned American professional golfer who won eleven major championships and was one of the most celebrated figures in the early history of the sport. His autobiography, "The Walter Hagen Story," published in 1956, offers insights into his life and career.
Finally, Uta Hagen (1919-2004) was a celebrated German-American actress and renowned acting teacher. She was widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the field of acting in the 20th century and authored several books on the craft, including "Respect for Acting" and "A Challenge for the Actor."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hagen
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hagen 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 Hagen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 20,213
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 761
- Two or more races3.2% · 706
- Black or African American0.9% · 202
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 200
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hagen
Hagen 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
#1,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,616
+441 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 8.01
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#1,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,194
-1,422 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 7.43
Rank movement Down 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,403 | 23,175 | 8.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,518 | 23,616 | 8.01 | +441 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #1,576 | 22,194 | 7.43 | -1,422 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 58 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 Hagen 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 | #1,518 | #1,576 | -3.8% |
| Count | 23,616 | 22,194 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.01 | 7.43 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hagen bearers went from 23,616 to 22,194 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,518 to #1,576.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hagen
FAQ
Hagen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hagen?
Name Census estimates that about 25,450 living Americans carry the surname Hagen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,468 residents.
How common is Hagen?
Hagen ranks #1,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,194 people with the surname Hagen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Hagen.
Has Hagen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hagen went from 23,616 recorded bearers to 22,194. That is a decrease of 1,422 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,518 to #1,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Hagen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hagen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hagen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (20,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hagen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hagen (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 Hagen mean?
Derived from a German place name or a shortened form of Germanic personal names beginning with "hag" meaning "enclosure" or "hedged area." 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 Hagen (7.43 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 common is the surname Hagen?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Hagen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.