2000
#9,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Wager
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wax candles or other wax products.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,656 Americans carry the last name Wager. That puts it at #9,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wager 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 Wager with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 93,751
Census rank
#9,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,188 bearers of the surname Wager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wager, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wager
The surname Wager originated in Germany in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "wagen," which means "to weigh or measure." The name likely referred to an occupation, such as a weigher or measurer of goods, perhaps someone responsible for weighing grain or other commodities.
In medieval times, surnames often derived from occupations, and the name Wager likely arose in this context. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in German parish records and tax rolls from the 1200s, with spellings such as "Wagener" and "Waghener."
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and regional variations. In England, the name appeared as "Wager" or "Wagher" as early as the 14th century, possibly brought by German merchants or immigrants. The Wager spelling became more common in Britain over time.
One notable early instance of the name is found in the 1379 Poll Tax records of Yorkshire, England, which list a "Johannes Wager." In the 15th century, a Robert Wager is recorded as being a member of the Guild of St. George in Norwich, England.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Wager have achieved distinction. William Wager (1592-1668) was an English clergyman and author who wrote works on theology and philosophy. Charles Wager (1666-1743) was an English naval officer who served as First Lord of the Admiralty.
In the 19th century, Lewis David Wager (1855-1933) was a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London. Henry Wager (1784-1858) was a British botanist and horticulturist who wrote extensively on plant cultivation.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest known instances of the name in America is Robert Wager, who settled in Virginia in 1635. In more recent times, Walter Wager (1923-2004) was an American novelist and screenwriter best known for his crime and mystery novels.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wager
Among Census respondents with the surname Wager, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Wager 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 Wager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 2,834
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 137
- Two or more races3.9% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 40
- Black or African American0.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wager
Wager 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
#9,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,428
+112 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 424 places
2020
#9,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,188
-240 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,064 | 3,316 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,488 | 3,428 | 1.16 | +112 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 424 places |
| 2020 | #9,717 | 3,188 | 1.07 | -240 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 229 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 Wager 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 | #9,488 | #9,717 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,428 | 3,188 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.07 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wager bearers went from 3,428 to 3,188 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 229 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,488 to #9,717.
FAQ
Wager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wager?
Name Census estimates that about 3,656 living Americans carry the surname Wager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,751 residents.
How common is Wager?
Wager ranks #9,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,188 people with the surname Wager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wager.
Has Wager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wager went from 3,428 recorded bearers to 3,188. That is a decrease of 240 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,488 to #9,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Wager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wager, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,834 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Wager (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 Wager mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wax candles or other wax products. 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 Wager (1.07 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 people share the surname Wager?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.