2000
#87,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 197
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Vagt
A surname meaning watchman or guard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 237 Americans carry the last name Vagt. That puts it at #94,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,446,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vagt 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
237
1 in 1,446,221
Census rank
#94,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
207
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 207 bearers of the surname Vagt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 94713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vagt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vagt
The surname Vagt is of German origin, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Vogt," which referred to an administrative official or legal representative in medieval times. This occupation-based surname was likely bestowed upon individuals who held such positions of authority within their communities.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Vagt can be traced back to various regions of present-day Germany, including Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. In the 14th century, the name appears in several historical documents, such as the Erbregister, a register of inherited properties and landholdings.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Vagt was Hans Vagt, a merchant and council member in the city of Lübeck during the late 15th century. Another prominent individual was Johann Vagt, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century and played a role in the Reformation movement in Germany.
The surname Vagt has also been linked to various place names and their historical spellings. For instance, the town of Vogtland in Saxony, Germany, was once known as Vogtlande, and the name Vagt may have been influenced by this geographical connection.
Among other notable individuals with the surname Vagt throughout history are:
1. Heinrich Vagt (1568-1634), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony.
2. Christian Vagt (1732-1798), a German botanist and naturalist who studied the flora of Central Europe.
3. Anna Vagt (1805-1878), a German educator and pioneer in the field of early childhood education.
4. Wilhelm Vagt (1817-1888), a German architect and urban planner who contributed to the development of several cities in Prussia.
5. Theodor Vagt (1836-1905), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Vagt Machinery Works in Berlin.
While the surname Vagt may have variations in spelling and pronunciation across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the administrative and legal occupations held by individuals bearing this name during the Middle Ages in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vagt
Among Census respondents with the surname Vagt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vagt 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 Vagt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 13
- Two or more races2.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vagt
Vagt 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
#90,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 204
+7 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 2,766 places
2020
#94,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 207
+3 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 4,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #87,729 | 197 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #90,495 | 204 | 0.07 | +7 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 2,766 places |
| 2020 | #94,713 | 207 | 0.07 | +3 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 4,218 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 Vagt 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 | #90,495 | #94,713 | -4.7% |
| Count | 204 | 207 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vagt bearers went from 204 to 207 (+1.5% change). The surname moved down 4,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #90,495 to #94,713.
FAQ
Vagt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vagt?
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the surname Vagt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,446,221 residents.
How common is Vagt?
Vagt ranks #94,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 207 people with the surname Vagt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (237), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Vagt.
Has Vagt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vagt went from 204 recorded bearers to 207. That is an increase of 3 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #90,495 to #94,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Vagt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vagt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Vagt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vagt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Vagt (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 Vagt mean?
A surname meaning watchman or guard. 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 Vagt (0.07 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 Vagt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.