2000
#4,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,092
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.63
Rare Last name
Voigt
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or overseer of an estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,338 Americans carry the last name Voigt. That puts it at #4,722 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,108 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Voigt 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 Voigt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,108
Census rank
#4,722
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,271 bearers of the surname Voigt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4722nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Voigt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Voigt
The surname Voigt is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "voget," which means "advocate," "steward," or "bailiff." This word, in turn, comes from the Latin word "vocatus," meaning "called."
The name first emerged in the region of Saxony, where it was originally used as an occupational name for a legal representative or steward. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of this name may have been officials or administrators in the service of noblemen or religious institutions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Saxonicarum, a medieval manuscript from the 10th century that documents land transfers and legal transactions in Saxony. It mentions individuals with the name Voigt, suggesting that the name was already established in the region at that time.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Albrecht Voigt was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Magdeburg, where he served as a Burgvogt, or castle warden. This historical reference provides further evidence of the name's association with administrative or legal roles.
The name Voigt also has a connection to several place names in Germany, such as Vogtsfeld and Vogtland, which derive from the word "Vogt" and reflect the historical presence of officials or stewards in those areas.
Some notable individuals with the surname Voigt throughout history include:
1. Johann Friedrich Voigt (1796-1859), a German mineralogist and geologist.
2. Christian Gottlob Voigt (1743-1819), a German philosopher and writer.
3. Theodor Voigt (1858-1924), a German composer and music theorist.
4. Woldemar Voigt (1849-1922), a German physicist known for his work on crystal optics.
5. Johannes Voigt (1786-1863), a German historian and author of several works on Prussian history.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, various spellings emerged, including Vogt, Voight, and Vogt. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained tied to its administrative and legal connotations from the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Voigt
Among Census respondents with the surname Voigt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Voigt 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 Voigt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 6,588
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 271
- Two or more races3.5% · 252
- Black or African American1.2% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Voigt
Voigt 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
#4,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,251
+159 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 278 places
2020
#4,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,271
+20 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Up 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,584 | 7,092 | 2.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,862 | 7,251 | 2.46 | +159 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 278 places |
| 2020 | #4,722 | 7,271 | 2.43 | +20 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 140 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 Voigt 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 | #4,862 | #4,722 | 2.9% |
| Count | 7,251 | 7,271 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.43 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Voigt bearers went from 7,251 to 7,271 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,862 to #4,722.
FAQ
Voigt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Voigt?
Name Census estimates that about 8,338 living Americans carry the surname Voigt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,108 residents.
How common is Voigt?
Voigt ranks #4,722 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.43 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 7,271 people with the surname Voigt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.43 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 Voigt.
Has Voigt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Voigt went from 7,251 recorded bearers to 7,271. That is an increase of 20 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,862 to #4,722.
What does the Census say about the background of Voigt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Voigt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Voigt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (6,588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Voigt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Voigt (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 Voigt mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, bailiff, or overseer of an estate. 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 Voigt (2.43 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 Voigt?
Find out how many people are called Voigt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.