2000
#1,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.58
Uncommon Last name
Vogt
An occupational surname for a steward, bailiff, or overseer, derived from the German word "Vogt" meaning "advocate" or "protector."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,091 Americans carry the last name Vogt. That puts it at #2,019 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,060 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vogt 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vogt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,060
Census rank
#2,019
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,520 bearers of the surname Vogt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2019th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vogt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vogt
The surname Vogt originated in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word 'Vogt', meaning a reeve, bailiff, or steward. The name was initially used to refer to an administrative official or a representative of a feudal lord who oversaw a particular area or village.
In the 9th century, the name Vogt appeared in various records and manuscripts in different parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony, Bavaria, and Swabia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annales Regni Francorum, a chronicle from the Carolingian period, where a certain Vogt named Adalbert was mentioned in the year 825.
The surname Vogt was also found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli, a collection of documents from the St. Gallen Abbey in Switzerland, dating back to the 9th century. This suggests that the name was not only prevalent in Germany but also in neighboring regions.
In the 11th century, the name Vogt was associated with several place names in Germany, such as Vogtland, a region in the modern-day states of Saxony and Thuringia, and Vogtsburg, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg. These place names were likely derived from the presence of Vogt officials or administrators in those areas.
One notable individual with the surname Vogt was Johann Vogt (1695-1764), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and the calculation of their orbits. Another prominent figure was Johann Friedrich Vogt (1803-1859), a German politician and writer who played a crucial role in the German revolutions of 1848-1849.
In the 19th century, the name Vogt gained prominence with the birth of Karl Vogt (1817-1895), a German scientist and philosopher who was a proponent of materialism and a critic of the Catholic Church. He is known for his work in physiology and for his involvement in the debates surrounding Darwinism.
Philipp Friedrich Wilhelm Vogt (1786-1861) was a German jurist and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the development of German civil law. He served as a judge and professor of law at the University of Giessen.
Another notable figure was Nicolaus Vogt (1756-1839), a German painter and engraver who was known for his landscapes and architectural representations. He worked in the Neoclassical style and was a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin.
While these examples are not exhaustive, they illustrate the historical presence and significance of the surname Vogt in various fields, including science, politics, law, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vogt
Among Census respondents with the surname Vogt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vogt 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 Vogt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 15,981
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 644
- Two or more races3.0% · 526
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 165
- Black or African American0.9% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vogt
Vogt 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
#2,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,061
+322 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 6.12
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#2,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,520
-541 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 5.86
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,863 | 17,739 | 6.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,002 | 18,061 | 6.12 | +322 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #2,019 | 17,520 | 5.86 | -541 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 17 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 Vogt 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 | #2,002 | #2,019 | -0.8% |
| Count | 18,061 | 17,520 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.12 | 5.86 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vogt bearers went from 18,061 to 17,520 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,002 to #2,019.
FAQ
Vogt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vogt?
Name Census estimates that about 20,091 living Americans carry the surname Vogt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,060 residents.
How common is Vogt?
Vogt ranks #2,019 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,520 people with the surname Vogt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,091), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Vogt.
Has Vogt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vogt went from 18,061 recorded bearers to 17,520. That is a decrease of 541 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,002 to #2,019.
What does the Census say about the background of Vogt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vogt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Vogt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (15,981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vogt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Vogt (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 Vogt mean?
An occupational surname for a steward, bailiff, or overseer, derived from the German word "Vogt" meaning "advocate" or "protector." 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 Vogt (5.86 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 Vogt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.