2000
#6,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Haug
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a hedge or fence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,324 Americans carry the last name Haug. That puts it at #6,973 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haug 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
5.3K
1 in 64,379
Census rank
#6,973
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,643 bearers of the surname Haug in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6973rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haug, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haug
The surname HAUG is believed to have originated in Germany and Switzerland during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "houg," which means "hill" or "mound," suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HAUG can be found in the Codex Hirsaugiensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in Germany, which mentions a person named "Haugus." Additionally, the name appears in the Urbar of the Abbey of St. Gallen, a 13th-century land register from Switzerland.
In the early 14th century, there are records of a family named HAUG living in the town of Nördlingen, located in the German state of Bavaria. This family was involved in the textile trade and held positions of prominence within the town's guild system.
During the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johannes HAUG (c. 1420-1475), a German theologian and early humanist scholar who taught at the University of Erfurt. He was renowned for his teachings on classical literature and his advocacy for educational reforms.
Another significant figure with the surname HAUG was Matthias HAUG (1564-1630), a German Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. He wrote several influential works on theology and biblical exegesis.
In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich HAUG (1732-1811) was a German artist and engraver known for his intricate copperplate engravings. He was a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Arts and worked on commissions for various European courts.
Moving into the 19th century, Johann Michael HAUG (1801-1873) was a notable German philologist and Orientalist. He was a professor at the University of Heidelberg and made significant contributions to the study of ancient Iranian languages and texts, including the Avesta and Old Persian inscriptions.
Throughout history, variations of the name HAUG have also been found in different regions, such as HAUCK, HAUG, HAUGG, and HAUGH, reflecting regional linguistic differences and spelling variations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haug
Among Census respondents with the surname Haug, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Haug 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 Haug surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 4,249
- Two or more races3.7% · 174
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 27
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haug
Haug 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
#6,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,989
+145 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 292 places
2020
#6,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,643
-346 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,465 | 4,844 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,757 | 4,989 | 1.69 | +145 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 292 places |
| 2020 | #6,973 | 4,643 | 1.55 | -346 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 216 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 Haug 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 | #6,757 | #6,973 | -3.2% |
| Count | 4,989 | 4,643 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.55 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haug bearers went from 4,989 to 4,643 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,757 to #6,973.
FAQ
Haug surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haug?
Name Census estimates that about 5,324 living Americans carry the surname Haug. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,379 residents.
How common is Haug?
Haug ranks #6,973 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,643 people with the surname Haug. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Haug.
Has Haug become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haug went from 4,989 recorded bearers to 4,643. That is a decrease of 346 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,757 to #6,973.
What does the Census say about the background of Haug?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haug, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Haug in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (4,249 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haug appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Haug (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 Haug mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname referring to someone who lived by a hedge or fence. 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 Haug (1.55 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 Haug?
You can see how many people have the surname Haug on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.