2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Staeger
A German surname potentially derived from the Dutch word "steger" meaning stairs or staircase.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Staeger. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Staeger 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Staeger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Staeger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Staeger
The surname Staeger is believed to have originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "stegen," which means "to climb." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on or near a steep path or incline.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Staeger can be found in the Bavarian town of Landshut, where a certain Johannes Staeger was mentioned in a legal document dated 1317. This document pertained to a land dispute, indicating that the Staeger family may have been landowners or involved in agriculture during that time.
In the 15th century, the name Staeger appeared in various records across southern Germany, with variations in spelling such as Steiger, Steyger, and Stäger. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in written records during that era.
One notable individual with the surname Staeger was Hans Staeger (1486-1549), a German engraver and woodcarver from Nuremberg. His intricate works adorned several churches and buildings throughout the region, showcasing the artistic talents of the Staeger family.
Another prominent figure was Johann Staeger (1592-1662), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. He wrote several influential works on theology and philosophy, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 18th century, the name Staeger gained some prominence in the literary world with the birth of Johann Friedrich Staeger (1728-1789), a German playwright and poet. His works often explored themes of love, morality, and the human condition, reflecting the cultural and social climate of the Enlightenment period.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Staeger was associated with the arts once again, with the painter and printmaker Johann Gottlieb Staeger (1805-1865). His landscapes and depictions of rural life captured the essence of Germany's countryside and were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
While the surname Staeger may not have achieved widespread fame or recognition throughout history, it has persisted as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Germany, carrying with it the echoes of its humble beginnings and the stories of those who bore this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Staeger
Among Census respondents with the surname Staeger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Staeger 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 Staeger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 111
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Staeger
Staeger 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-18 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,193 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-9 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,316 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 21,193 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 10,316 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 Staeger 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 | #134,712 | #145,028 | -7.7% |
| Count | 125 | 116 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Staeger bearers went from 125 to 116 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 10,316 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #145,028.
FAQ
Staeger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Staeger?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Staeger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Staeger?
Staeger ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Staeger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Staeger.
Has Staeger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Staeger went from 125 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Staeger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Staeger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Staeger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Staeger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Staeger (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 Staeger mean?
A German surname potentially derived from the Dutch word "steger" meaning stairs or staircase. 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 Staeger (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 common is the surname Staeger?
You can see how many people are called Staeger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.