2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Skauge
A Scandinavian toponymic surname derived from a farmstead or village name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Skauge. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Skauge 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Skauge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Skauge, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Skauge
The surname SKAUGE is of Norwegian origin, and it is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "skaugi," which means "a small piece of woodland" or "a clump of trees." This suggests that the name may have originally been used to identify someone who lived near or associated with a particular wooded area.
The earliest known records of the SKAUGE surname can be traced back to the Trondheim region of Norway, where it is believed to have originated. In the 15th century, there are mentions of individuals with the surname SKAUGE in various legal documents and church records from this area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SKAUGE surname is found in the 1521 census of Trondheim, where a man named Arne Skauge is listed as a landowner. This record provides valuable insight into the early use and spelling of the name.
In the 16th century, the name SKAUGE appears in several historical documents related to land disputes and legal proceedings in the Trondheim region. One notable example is the case of Peder Skauge, who was involved in a dispute over a piece of property in the village of Klæbu in the 1570s.
As the centuries progressed, the SKAUGE surname spread to other parts of Norway, particularly the western and central regions. In the 18th century, there are records of individuals with the SKAUGE surname living in cities like Bergen and Stavanger.
One notable figure with the SKAUGE surname was Hans Skauge (1798-1872), a Norwegian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) in the mid-19th century. Another notable individual was Olav Skauge (1854-1931), a Norwegian businessman and ship owner who founded the successful shipping company Skauge & Co.
Other individuals with the SKAUGE surname who made significant contributions include Knut Skauge (1880-1961), a Norwegian engineer and inventor known for his work in the field of hydroelectric power generation, and Ingrid Skauge (1905-1990), a Norwegian artist and painter who was part of the Norwegian modernist art movement.
In more recent times, the SKAUGE surname has continued to be present in Norway, with notable individuals such as Erling Skauge (born 1945), a Norwegian businessman and entrepreneur in the maritime industry, and Knut Skauge (born 1955), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Skauge
Among Census respondents with the surname Skauge, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Skauge 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 Skauge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Skauge
Skauge 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-15 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,675 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+14 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,955 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 25,675 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 13,955 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 Skauge 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 | #159,712 | #145,757 | 8.7% |
| Count | 101 | 115 | 13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Skauge bearers went from 101 to 115 (+13.9% change). The surname moved up 13,955 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Skauge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Skauge?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Skauge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Skauge?
Skauge ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Skauge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Skauge.
Has Skauge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Skauge went from 101 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 14 (+13.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Skauge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Skauge, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Skauge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Skauge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Hispanic (0.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Skauge (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 Skauge mean?
A Scandinavian toponymic surname derived from a farmstead or village 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 Skauge (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 share the surname Skauge?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.