2000
#12,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Haigler
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the Middle English word "hagler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,511 Americans carry the last name Haigler. That puts it at #13,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haigler 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
2.5K
1 in 136,501
Census rank
#13,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,190 bearers of the surname Haigler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haigler
The surname HAIGLER originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "hegel," meaning "peasant" or "farmer." It is believed to have been an occupational name given to those who worked as farmers or cultivated land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HAIGLER can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to 1378. The name was spelled "Hegler" at the time, which was a common variation of the modern spelling.
In the 16th century, the name HAIGLER appeared in several historical documents related to the Protestant Reformation. Johannes HAIGLER, a Lutheran theologian born in 1492 in Saxony, was a prominent figure during this period. He was known for his writings and sermons advocating for religious reform.
The name HAIGLER also has ties to various place names in Germany. For instance, the village of Haigerloch in Baden-Württemberg is believed to have derived its name from the surname. This village dates back to the 12th century and was once home to several families bearing the HAIGLER name.
As the surname spread across Europe, it took on different spellings and variations. In France, it was sometimes written as "Haigler" or "Hegler," while in England, it appeared as "Haigler" or "Heygler."
One notable bearer of the HAIGLER name was Johann Friedrich HAIGLER, a German composer and organist born in 1688 in Saxony. He was widely acclaimed for his church music and served as the organist at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, a position previously held by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Another prominent figure with the HAIGLER surname was Wilhelm HAIGLER, a German politician and economist born in 1821 in Baden. He was a member of the Prussian Parliament and played a significant role in shaping economic policies during the late 19th century.
In the United States, the HAIGLER surname can be traced back to German immigrants who arrived in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann HAIGLER, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1748. His descendants later migrated westward, and the name became prevalent in states like North Carolina and Texas.
Another notable American with the HAIGLER surname was William HAIGLER, a politician and lawyer born in 1837 in North Carolina. He served as a member of the North Carolina State Senate and was actively involved in legal and political affairs during the Reconstruction era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haigler
Among Census respondents with the surname Haigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Haigler 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 Haigler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.9% · 1,399
- Black or African American29.5% · 647
- Two or more races3.4% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haigler
Haigler 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
#12,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,502
+181 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 135 places
2020
#13,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,190
-312 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,288 | 2,321 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,423 | 2,502 | 0.85 | +181 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 135 places |
| 2020 | #13,320 | 2,190 | 0.73 | -312 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 897 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 Haigler 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 | #12,423 | #13,320 | -7.2% |
| Count | 2,502 | 2,190 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.73 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haigler bearers went from 2,502 to 2,190 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 897 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,423 to #13,320.
FAQ
Haigler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haigler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,511 living Americans carry the surname Haigler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,501 residents.
How common is Haigler?
Haigler ranks #13,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,190 people with the surname Haigler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Haigler.
Has Haigler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haigler went from 2,502 recorded bearers to 2,190. That is a decrease of 312 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,423 to #13,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Haigler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haigler, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Haigler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.9% (1,399 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haigler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.9%), Black (29.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Haigler (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 Haigler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader, derived from the Middle English word "hagler." 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 Haigler (0.73 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 Haigler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.