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

Meger, 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 Meger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Meger in America

Meger is the 62903rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Meger surname appeared 318 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Meger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Meger 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 Meger

The surname Meger is of German origin, first appearing in records from the 13th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "meger," meaning thin or lean. This descriptor likely referred to the physical appearance of an early bearer of the name.

In its earliest forms, the name was sometimes spelled Mager or Maiger. These variant spellings can be found in medieval records from various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name may have originated as a nickname for a slender individual, which later became a hereditary surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Meger appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the year 1285. In this record, a certain "Heinricus Meger" is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Zwickau.

Another notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Meger, a scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century. He was born in the city of Nuremberg around 1450 and later became a professor at the University of Leipzig, where he taught and wrote extensively on religious subjects.

In the 16th century, a man named Hans Meger gained fame as a skilled clockmaker in the city of Augsburg. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons throughout Europe. Some of his works can still be seen in museums today, bearing his signature "H. Meger" and the year of their creation.

During the 17th century, the Meger surname appeared in several rural areas of southwestern Germany, including the Black Forest region. Here, the name was often associated with families involved in agriculture or forestry. One notable figure from this time was Matthias Meger, a forester and gamekeeper who served in the service of the Duke of Württemberg in the late 1600s.

In the 18th century, a man named Johann Meger made a name for himself as a talented architect and builder in the city of Munich. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Michael and the Palais Preysing, both of which still stand today as examples of his craftsmanship.

While the Meger surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with bearers of the name found in countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and even the United States and Canada, where German immigrants brought the name in more recent centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Meger

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

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 Meger 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 Meger 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 Meger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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