2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Skager
A Swedish territorial surname derived from a specific place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Skager. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skager 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Skager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skager, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skager
The surname SKAGER is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from the regions of Norway and Sweden. It is believed to have originated in the late 12th or early 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "skaga," which means "headland" or "promontory," referring to a prominent coastal landform.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SKAGER can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents dating back to the 13th century. It mentions a person named Thorstein Skager, who lived in the region of Trøndelag in central Norway.
In Sweden, the name SKAGER is closely associated with the island of Skagen, located in the northernmost part of the country, near the border with Norway. The island's name is thought to be the source of the surname, as it was likely given to individuals who lived or originated from that area.
During the 15th century, a notable figure named Erik Skager was mentioned in the Kalmar Union records, which documented the historical union between the Scandinavian kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Erik Skager was a merchant and ship owner from the town of Marstrand in western Sweden.
In the 17th century, a renowned Norwegian sea captain named Hans Skager gained fame for his daring exploits and voyages across the North Atlantic. He was born in 1625 in the town of Trondheim and became known for his skilled navigation and leadership during treacherous sea voyages.
Another notable individual with the surname SKAGER was Johan Skager, a Swedish painter and artist who lived from 1698 to 1775. He was known for his landscape paintings and portraits, many of which depicted scenes from the coastal regions of Sweden.
The SKAGER surname has also been associated with various place names in Scandinavia, such as Skager Parish in Sweden and Skagen Municipality in Denmark, which borders the northernmost tip of the Jutland peninsula.
Throughout history, the SKAGER surname has been spelled in various ways, including Skager, Skagger, Skaager, and Skåger, reflecting the linguistic variations and dialects found in different regions of Scandinavia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skager
Among Census respondents with the surname Skager, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Skager 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 Skager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skager
Skager 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,607 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,607 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 810 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 Skager 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 | #149,395 | #150,205 | -0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 109 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skager bearers went from 110 to 109 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 810 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,205.
FAQ
Skager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skager?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Skager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Skager?
Skager ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Skager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Skager.
Has Skager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skager went from 110 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Skager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skager, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Skager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Skager (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 Skager mean?
A Swedish territorial surname derived from a specific place name. 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 Skager (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 people have the last name Skager?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Skager on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.