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

Rager, 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 Rager surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rager in America

Rager is the 6425th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rager surname appeared 5,287 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Rager.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rager 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 Rager

The surname Rager is of German origin and is believed to have emerged in the 14th century. Its earliest recorded use is thought to have been in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "ragen," which means "to protrude" or "to stand out."

One of the earliest known references to the surname Rager can be found in a record from 1387, which mentions a certain Hans Rager residing in the town of Augsburg, Bavaria. This document is part of the municipal archives of the city and provides valuable insight into the historical presence of the name in that region.

During the 16th century, the Rager surname began to spread beyond its original geographical boundaries. In 1523, a man named Christoph Rager was recorded as a resident of the town of Rottenburg am Neckar, located in the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg. His occupation was listed as a cooper, which was a skilled trade involving the making and repairing of wooden vessels such as barrels and casks.

As the centuries progressed, the Rager surname continued to appear in various records and documents across Germany. One notable individual was Johann Georg Rager, a prominent theologian and philosopher who lived from 1668 to 1738. He served as a professor at the University of Tübingen and authored several influential works on theology and ethics.

In the 19th century, the Rager surname made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of Wilhelm Rager, who was born in 1812 in the town of Karlsruhe, Baden. He immigrated to the United States in 1837 and settled in the state of Pennsylvania, where he worked as a farmer.

Another significant figure from this period was Otto Rager, a German-American artist and painter who lived from 1846 to 1926. He was born in the city of Stuttgart, Germany, but later emigrated to the United States and became known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which depicted scenes from the American West.

Over the centuries, the Rager surname has continued to be represented by individuals in various fields, from academia to the arts and beyond. While its origins can be traced back to the German regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, the name has since spread across the globe, carrying with it a rich history and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rager

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

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

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

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