2000
#2,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.56
Uncommon Last name
Jaeger
A German occupational surname referring to a hunter or huntsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,050 Americans carry the last name Jaeger. That puts it at #2,870 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jaeger 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 Jaeger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,395
Census rank
#2,870
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,252 bearers of the surname Jaeger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2870th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaeger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jaeger
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaeger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Jaeger 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 Jaeger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 11,292
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 400
- Two or more races2.9% · 360
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 45
- Black or African American0.3% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jaeger
Jaeger 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
#2,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,436
+138 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 4.22
Rank movement Down 192 places
2020
#2,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,252
-184 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 4.10
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,695 | 12,298 | 4.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,887 | 12,436 | 4.22 | +138 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 192 places |
| 2020 | #2,870 | 12,252 | 4.10 | -184 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 17 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 Jaeger 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 | #2,887 | #2,870 | 0.6% |
| Count | 12,436 | 12,252 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.22 | 4.10 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jaeger bearers went from 12,436 to 12,252 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,887 to #2,870.
FAQ
Jaeger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jaeger?
Name Census estimates that about 14,050 living Americans carry the surname Jaeger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,395 residents.
How common is Jaeger?
Jaeger ranks #2,870 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,252 people with the surname Jaeger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,050), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Jaeger.
Has Jaeger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jaeger went from 12,436 recorded bearers to 12,252. That is a decrease of 184 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,887 to #2,870.
What does the Census say about the background of Jaeger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jaeger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Jaeger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (11,292 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jaeger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (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 Jaeger (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 Jaeger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a hunter or huntsman. 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 Jaeger (4.10 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 Jaeger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.