2000
#6,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,031
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.86
Rare Last name
Rager
An occupational surname for a wheelwright or wainwright, referring to someone who builds or repairs wheeled vehicles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,786 Americans carry the last name Rager. That puts it at #6,471 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rager 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 Rager with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,239
Census rank
#6,471
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,046 bearers of the surname Rager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6471st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rager, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rager
Among Census respondents with the surname Rager, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rager 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 Rager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 4,663
- Two or more races3.3% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 135
- Black or African American0.7% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rager
Rager 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
#6,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,287
+256 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#6,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,046
-241 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,253 | 5,031 | 1.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,425 | 5,287 | 1.79 | +256 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #6,471 | 5,046 | 1.69 | -241 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 46 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 Rager 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 | #6,425 | #6,471 | -0.7% |
| Count | 5,287 | 5,046 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.69 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rager bearers went from 5,287 to 5,046 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,425 to #6,471.
FAQ
Rager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rager?
Name Census estimates that about 5,786 living Americans carry the surname Rager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,239 residents.
How common is Rager?
Rager ranks #6,471 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,046 people with the surname Rager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Rager.
Has Rager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rager went from 5,287 recorded bearers to 5,046. That is a decrease of 241 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,425 to #6,471.
What does the Census say about the background of Rager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rager, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Rager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (4,663 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Rager (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 Rager mean?
An occupational surname for a wheelwright or wainwright, referring to someone who builds or repairs wheeled vehicles. 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 Rager (1.69 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 Rager?
Find out how many people have the last name Rager on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.