2000
#6,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,840
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Rare Last name
Steger
An occupational surname for a carpenter, builder, or woodworker, derived from the German word "Steiger" meaning "builder."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,351 Americans carry the last name Steger. That puts it at #6,937 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,054 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Steger 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
5.4K
1 in 64,054
Census rank
#6,937
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,666 bearers of the surname Steger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6937th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Steger, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Steger
The surname Steger has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "steg," meaning "path" or "narrow bridge," suggesting that the name may have originated from a location or region with these features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Steger can be found in the German city of Nuremberg, where a certain Heinricus Steger was mentioned in a document from the year 1363. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various German records, including the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Hanns Steger was documented in 1456. This indicates that the name had spread to different areas of Germany over time.
During the 16th century, the name Steger can be found in various regions of Germany, including the town of Memmingen, where a Christoph Steger was born around 1520. This individual later became a renowned Protestant theologian and writer, contributing to the spread and recognition of the Steger name.
Another notable figure bearing the Steger surname was Johann Steger, a German composer and organist who lived from 1570 to 1633. He was renowned for his sacred music compositions and served as the court organist in Stuttgart.
In the 18th century, the name Steger appeared in the records of the town of Bamberg, where a Johann Michael Steger was born in 1718. He later became a respected jurist and legal scholar, further adding to the prominence of the Steger name.
As the Steger family spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Steger, Steeger, and Stegger. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciations.
Another notable figure with the Steger surname was Wilhelm Steger, a German author and journalist who lived from 1848 to 1922. He was known for his works on German literature and culture, as well as his involvement in various political and social movements of his time.
While the Steger name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the earliest and most significant historical records of the name can be traced back to its German origins in the Middle Ages and the subsequent centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Steger
Among Census respondents with the surname Steger, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Steger 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 Steger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 4,066
- Black or African American5.6% · 262
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 185
- Two or more races2.3% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Steger
Steger 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
#6,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,231
+391 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#6,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,666
-565 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 447 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,472 | 4,840 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,490 | 5,231 | 1.77 | +391 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #6,937 | 4,666 | 1.56 | -565 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 447 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 Steger 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 | #6,490 | #6,937 | -6.9% |
| Count | 5,231 | 4,666 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.56 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Steger bearers went from 5,231 to 4,666 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 447 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,490 to #6,937.
FAQ
Steger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Steger?
Name Census estimates that about 5,351 living Americans carry the surname Steger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,054 residents.
How common is Steger?
Steger ranks #6,937 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,666 people with the surname Steger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,351), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Steger.
Has Steger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Steger went from 5,231 recorded bearers to 4,666. That is a decrease of 565 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,490 to #6,937.
What does the Census say about the background of Steger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Steger, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Steger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (4,066 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Steger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (5.6%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Steger (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 Steger mean?
An occupational surname for a carpenter, builder, or woodworker, derived from the German word "Steiger" meaning "builder." 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 Steger (1.56 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 Steger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.