2000
#11,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Scaggs
An English occupational surname for a person who makes or sells bags, sacks, or satchels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,906 Americans carry the last name Scaggs. That puts it at #11,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scaggs 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.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,947
Census rank
#11,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,534 bearers of the surname Scaggs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scaggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scaggs
The surname Scaggs is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the county of Lincolnshire during the medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "sceaga," which means "a small wood or thicket."
Historically, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Scagge, Scagg, and Scagh. It is believed that the name was initially used as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small wooded area or thicket.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scaggs can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1524, which mentions a Richard Scagge. The Scaggs surname also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1273, suggesting that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time.
In the 17th century, the Scaggs name was present in several parish records across England, including in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. One notable individual from this period was John Scaggs, who was born in Lincolnshire in 1630 and served as a member of the Parliament of England.
During the 18th century, the Scaggs surname continued to be prominent in various parts of England. One example is William Scaggs, a renowned clockmaker who was born in Lincolnshire in 1725 and made significant contributions to the art of clockmaking.
In the 19th century, the Scaggs name gained further recognition with the birth of Henry Scaggs in 1836. He was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the St. Mary's Church in Nottingham.
Another notable figure with the Scaggs surname was John Scaggs, born in Yorkshire in 1845. He was a successful entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Scaggs Textile Company, which played a significant role in the industrial revolution in England.
While the Scaggs surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to emigration. However, the majority of individuals bearing this surname can trace their roots back to the English counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scaggs
Among Census respondents with the surname Scaggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Scaggs 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 Scaggs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 2,137
- Black or African American7.7% · 195
- Two or more races4.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scaggs
Scaggs 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
#11,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,703
+64 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 561 places
2020
#11,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
-169 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,049 | 2,639 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,610 | 2,703 | 0.92 | +64 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 561 places |
| 2020 | #11,813 | 2,534 | 0.85 | -169 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 203 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 Scaggs 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 | #11,610 | #11,813 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,703 | 2,534 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.85 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scaggs bearers went from 2,703 to 2,534 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,610 to #11,813.
FAQ
Scaggs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scaggs?
Name Census estimates that about 2,906 living Americans carry the surname Scaggs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,947 residents.
How common is Scaggs?
Scaggs ranks #11,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,534 people with the surname Scaggs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,906), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Scaggs.
Has Scaggs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scaggs went from 2,703 recorded bearers to 2,534. That is a decrease of 169 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,610 to #11,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Scaggs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scaggs, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Scaggs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (2,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scaggs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Scaggs (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 Scaggs mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who makes or sells bags, sacks, or satchels. 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 Scaggs (0.85 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 have the surname Scaggs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.