2000
#8,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,445
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Jager
A German occupational surname referring to a hunter or gamekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,103 Americans carry the last name Jager. That puts it at #8,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jager 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 Jager with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,537
Census rank
#8,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,578 bearers of the surname Jager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jager, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jager
The surname Jager has its origins in Germany and is derived from the German word "Jäger," which means "hunter" or "huntsman." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages when hunting was a common occupation or pastime among the nobility and those who lived in rural areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Jager can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various regions of Germany. One notable example is found in the Codex Manesse, a medieval German manuscript dating back to around 1300, which mentions a Ritter Jäger (Knight Jäger).
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Jager became more widespread across German-speaking regions, with variations in spelling such as Jäger, Jaeger, and Jeger appearing in historical records and documents. During this time, the name was often associated with individuals who worked as professional hunters, gamekeepers, or foresters.
The name Jager has also been connected to various place names in Germany, such as Jägersburg (a town in Rhineland-Palatinate), Jägerndorf (a former town in Silesia, now part of Poland), and Jägerbrünnlein (a locality in Bavaria). These place names may have influenced the adoption or spread of the surname in certain regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Jager throughout history include:
1. Johann Jäger (1592-1629), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher.
2. Georg Jäger (1624-1692), a German Baroque painter and engraver.
3. Johann Wolfgang Jäger (1647-1720), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher.
4. Georg Friedrich Jäger (1785-1866), a German anatomist and zoologist.
5. Gustav Jäger (1808-1871), a German philosopher and naturalist.
While the surname Jager has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and has been adopted by various cultural groups and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jager
Among Census respondents with the surname Jager, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jager 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 Jager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 3,201
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 153
- Two or more races3.4% · 123
- Black or African American1.1% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jager
Jager 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
#7,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,356
+911 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 1,148 places
2020
#8,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,578
-778 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 1,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,769 | 3,445 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,621 | 4,356 | 1.48 | +911 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 1,148 places |
| 2020 | #8,795 | 3,578 | 1.20 | -778 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 1,174 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 Jager 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 | #7,621 | #8,795 | -15.4% |
| Count | 4,356 | 3,578 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.20 | -19.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jager bearers went from 4,356 to 3,578 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 1,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,621 to #8,795.
FAQ
Jager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jager?
Name Census estimates that about 4,103 living Americans carry the surname Jager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,537 residents.
How common is Jager?
Jager ranks #8,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,578 people with the surname Jager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Jager.
Has Jager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jager went from 4,356 recorded bearers to 3,578. That is a decrease of 778 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,621 to #8,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Jager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jager, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) 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 Jager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (3,201 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.3%), 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 Jager (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 Jager mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a hunter or gamekeeper. 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 Jager (1.20 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 are called Jager?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Jager on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.