2000
#93,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Herger
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name combining the elements "heri" (army) and "ger" (spear).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 230 Americans carry the last name Herger. That puts it at #96,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,490,236 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herger 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
230
1 in 1,490,236
Census rank
#96,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
201
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 201 bearers of the surname Herger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herger, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herger
The surname Herger originated from Germany in the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German words "heri" meaning army and "ger" meaning spear, indicating the name may have been an occupational name for a soldier or warrior. The name was most prevalent in Bavaria and other southern regions of Germany during the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest documented references to the Herger name appears in a manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of St. Emmeram in Regensburg, Bavaria, dated around 1215. This record mentions a knight named Rudiger Herger who participated in a local tournament. The name is also found in various charters and land records from the same era in towns like Augsburg and Nuremberg.
In the 14th century, a variant spelling "Hergar" emerged in parts of Swabia and Franconia. This may have been influenced by the regional dialect or a derivation from the town name Hergar, now known as Herrgarten near Memmingen. A notable bearer of this spelling was Konrad Hergar, a respected baker and guild member in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, born around 1375.
During the Renaissance era, the Herger name spread further across German-speaking lands. In 1492, a scholar named Johannes Herger from Saxony published a Latin treatise on astronomy and astrology. Another individual of note was Hans Herger, a master woodcarver from Bern, Switzerland, active in the early 16th century.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be present in various German states and territories. In the 1600s, a family of Hergers resided in the town of Oberursel near Frankfurt, where they were involved in the local wine trade. Later, in the 1800s, a composer named Wilhelm Herger was born in Dresden and gained recognition for his operatic works.
While not as widespread as some other German surnames, the Herger name has maintained a presence throughout the country's history, often associated with trades, crafts, and scholarly pursuits. Despite regional variations in spelling, the name's origins can be traced back to the early medieval period and the concept of a warrior or soldier.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herger
Among Census respondents with the surname Herger, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Herger 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 Herger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 19
- Black or African American3.5% · 7
- Two or more races3.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herger
Herger 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
#98,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 185
+3 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 4,672 places
2020
#96,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 201
+16 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 1,134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #93,427 | 182 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,099 | 185 | 0.06 | +3 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 4,672 places |
| 2020 | #96,965 | 201 | 0.07 | +16 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 1,134 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 Herger 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 | #98,099 | #96,965 | 1.2% |
| Count | 185 | 201 | 8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herger bearers went from 185 to 201 (+8.6% change). The surname moved up 1,134 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,099 to #96,965.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Herger
FAQ
Herger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herger?
Name Census estimates that about 230 living Americans carry the surname Herger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,490,236 residents.
How common is Herger?
Herger ranks #96,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 201 people with the surname Herger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Herger.
Has Herger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herger went from 185 recorded bearers to 201. That is an increase of 16 (+8.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #98,099 to #96,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Herger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herger, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Herger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Hispanic (9.5%), Black (3.5%). 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 Herger (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 Herger mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name combining the elements "heri" (army) and "ger" (spear). 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 Herger (0.07 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 have the last name Herger?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Herger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.