Find out how popular the last name Jaeger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jaeger.

Jaeger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jaeger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jaeger in America

Jaeger is the 2887th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jaeger surname appeared 12,436 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Jaeger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jaeger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jaeger

The surname Jaeger is of German origin, derived from the word "Jäger," which means "hunter" or "huntsman" in the German language. This occupational surname emerged during the Middle Ages, when it was given to individuals who worked as professional hunters, either in the service of noblemen or as freelance hunters who pursued game for food or fur.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Jaeger can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. In some areas, the name was also spelled as "Jeger" or "Jager," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Hans Jaeger, a huntsman who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century. His name appears in several municipal records and court documents from that time period, indicating his profession and standing within the community.

In the 16th century, the surname Jaeger gained prominence with the birth of Wolfgang Jaeger (1515-1580), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern astronomy.

Another notable figure was Johann Jaeger (1592-1667), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Tübingen. His influential works on Roman law and legal philosophy were widely studied throughout Europe during the 17th century.

The surname Jaeger is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Jagerhof (literally "hunter's court") and Jagersfeld ("hunter's field"), which likely originated from settlements or estates owned by individuals with this occupational surname.

In the 19th century, Johann Jaeger (1832-1908) was a prominent German engineer and inventor who developed several groundbreaking designs for railway locomotives and rolling stock. His innovations played a crucial role in the advancement of rail transportation during the industrial revolution.

Lastly, one cannot overlook the contribution of Hildegard Jaeger (1900-1995), a German writer and philosopher whose works explored themes of existentialism, feminism, and the human condition. Her novel "The Wandering Jew" (1937) was widely acclaimed and established her as a significant literary voice in the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jaeger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jaeger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jaeger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jaeger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jaeger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jaeger, please contact us.

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