2000
#11,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,446
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Magers
Derived from the Middle High German word "mager," meaning "lean" or "thin," likely referring to a person's physical appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,658 Americans carry the last name Magers. That puts it at #12,715 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Magers 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 Magers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,952
Census rank
#12,715
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,318 bearers of the surname Magers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12715th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Magers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Magers
The surname Magers is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "mager," which means "thin" or "lean." This could suggest that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was slender or thin in stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Magers can be found in the town of Meiningen, in the central region of Germany. In a local church register from the year 1582, there is an entry for a man named Hans Magers, who was a farmer in the area. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by the late 16th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Magers began to spread across various regions of Germany, including Saxony and Bavaria. In the town of Bamberg, located in northern Bavaria, there are records of a family named Magers who lived there in the late 1700s. One notable member of this family was Johann Magers, born in 1768, who was a respected craftsman and woodworker.
As the name Magers continued to gain prevalence, it also began to appear in various forms of historical documentation. For instance, in the "Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon" (German Family Names Lexicon), published in the 19th century, there is an entry for the name Magers, indicating its presence in various parts of Germany at that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Magers. One such person was Wilhelm Magers, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1835 to 1899. He was known for his work on ethics and morality, and his writings were influential in academic circles of the time.
Another prominent figure with the name Magers was Karl Magers, a German artist and painter who lived from 1876 to 1962. He was known for his landscape paintings and was a member of the influential Munich Secession art movement in the early 20th century.
In the realm of science, there was Otto Magers, a German chemist and researcher who lived from 1888 to 1957. He made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and held several patents for his work on chemical processes and compounds.
Moving into the 20th century, there was Hans Magers, a German composer and musician who was born in 1912 and lived until 1998. He was known for his compositions for chamber ensembles and orchestras, and his works were performed throughout Europe during his lifetime.
Finally, one cannot overlook the achievements of Luise Magers, a German athlete who competed in track and field events. Born in 1939, she represented West Germany in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in the pentathlon event at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
While the surname Magers may have humble beginnings as a descriptive nickname, it has undoubtedly left its mark on various aspects of history, from art and literature to science and athletics. The name's enduring presence across centuries serves as a testament to its rich heritage and the diverse contributions made by those who have carried it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magers
Among Census respondents with the surname Magers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Magers 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 Magers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 2,081
- Two or more races4.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 89
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Magers
Magers 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
#12,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,463
+17 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 834 places
2020
#12,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,318
-145 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,732 | 2,446 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,566 | 2,463 | 0.83 | +17 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 834 places |
| 2020 | #12,715 | 2,318 | 0.78 | -145 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 149 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 Magers 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 | #12,566 | #12,715 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,463 | 2,318 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.78 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Magers bearers went from 2,463 to 2,318 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,566 to #12,715.
FAQ
Magers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Magers?
Name Census estimates that about 2,658 living Americans carry the surname Magers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,952 residents.
How common is Magers?
Magers ranks #12,715 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,318 people with the surname Magers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Magers.
Has Magers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Magers went from 2,463 recorded bearers to 2,318. That is a decrease of 145 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,566 to #12,715.
What does the Census say about the background of Magers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Magers, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Magers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (2,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Magers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Magers (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 Magers mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "mager," meaning "lean" or "thin," likely referring to a person's physical appearance. 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 Magers (0.78 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 Magers?
You can see how common the surname Magers is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.