2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shrago
A ornamental surname possibly derived from the Hebrew name "Shraga".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Shrago. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shrago 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Shrago in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shrago, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shrago
The surname SHRAGO is of Jewish origin, derived from the Yiddish word "shragn," meaning "to stride" or "to walk with a swagger." It is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of Poland and Ukraine, during the 16th or 17th century.
The name SHRAGO is thought to have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who walked with a particular gait or stride. Over time, this nickname would have become a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname SHRAGO can be found in the records of the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland, dating back to the late 17th century. In these records, there are references to individuals with the surname SHRAGO, suggesting that the name had already been established and in use at that time.
In the 18th century, the SHRAGO surname appears in various historical documents, including tax records and census data from various towns and cities in the Pale of Settlement, a region in the Russian Empire where Jewish populations were permitted to reside.
Notably, in the 19th century, a prominent figure named Yehuda Leib SHRAGO (1825-1892) was a respected rabbi and Talmudic scholar who lived in Vilna, then part of the Russian Empire (now Vilnius, Lithuania). His writings and teachings on Jewish law and theology were highly influential during his lifetime and continue to be studied to this day.
Another individual of note who bore the SHRAGO surname was Chaim SHRAGO (1860-1925), a Ukrainian-born Jewish writer and journalist who lived in Odessa and later immigrated to the United States. He wrote extensively on Jewish culture, literature, and politics, and his works were widely read in both Russian and Yiddish-speaking communities.
In the early 20th century, a prominent figure named Shlomo SHRAGO (1890-1965) was a prominent Zionist leader and activist who played a significant role in the establishment of the State of Israel. He served as a member of the Zionist Executive Committee and was actively involved in the political negotiations leading up to the creation of the Jewish state.
Another notable individual with the SHRAGO surname was Yitzchak SHRAGO (1905-1986), a Hasidic rabbi and author who lived in Poland and later immigrated to the United States. He was a respected authority on Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah and wrote several books on these subjects, which are still widely studied in religious circles.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname SHRAGO, highlighting its deep roots and significance within Jewish communities across Eastern Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shrago
Among Census respondents with the surname Shrago, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Shrago 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 Shrago surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shrago
Shrago 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+5 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,227 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 4,227 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 7,918 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 Shrago 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 | #135,593 | #143,511 | -5.8% |
| Count | 124 | 118 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shrago bearers went from 124 to 118 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 7,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #143,511.
FAQ
Shrago surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shrago?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Shrago. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Shrago?
Shrago ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Shrago. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Shrago.
Has Shrago become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shrago went from 124 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Shrago?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shrago, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Shrago in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shrago appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Shrago (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 Shrago mean?
A ornamental surname possibly derived from the Hebrew name "Shraga". 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 Shrago (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Shrago?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.