2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Yawger
A variant of the German surname "Jäger" meaning hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Yawger. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yawger 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Yawger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yawger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yawger
The surname Yawger is believed to have its origins in Germany, likely dating back to the medieval period. The name might be derived from the Middle High German word jagen, which means "to hunt." It is conceivable that the name was originally given to someone who was a hunter by trade or enjoyed hunting as a pastime. This occupation-based surname would have been relatively common in the rural parts of Germany, especially in areas with dense forests that supported hunting activities.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname in historical records can be traced back to the regions of what are today known as Bavaria and Lower Saxony. These areas were historically wooded and known for their hunting culture. Variations of the name in old manuscripts might have included spellings such as Jäger or Jagen, but as families migrated and regional dialects evolved, the name morphed into Yawger.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in a 14th-century Bavarian tax record, listing a Jakob Jagen as a landowner. This suggests that by this time, families bearing this name had already established a level of prominence that warranted their inclusion in official records. Another historical reference includes Hermann Yawger, recorded in a Lower Saxony parish registry in the early 15th century, where he was noted for his skills in wood carving.
The name Yawger appears to have crossed the Atlantic with German immigrants to the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries. One notable figure is Johann Peter Yawger, who was born in Hesse in 1755 and migrated to Pennsylvania in 1783. Records show that he was a prominent member of his community and served as a town clerk, further cementing the legacy of the Yawger name in American history.
In the late 19th century, the name continued to gain recognition with figures such as George Yawger, born in 1862 in New York. He became known for his contributions to agricultural development in the state. His work in promoting scientific farming techniques earned him a reputation as a forward-thinking pioneer in the farming community of his era.
Emma Yawger, a distinguished scholar born in 1880, is another notable person bearing this surname. Her academic work in early American literature marked her as an important figure in literary circles. She was often cited in scholarly papers and was an early advocate for the inclusion of women's perspectives in historical literary analysis.
The Yawger name carries a rich history that is deeply intertwined with the cultural and occupational heritage of medieval Germany. It has left its mark across continents and centuries, borne by individuals of varying prominence in their respective fields, thus ensuring that the legacy of the Yawger surname continues to endure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yawger
Among Census respondents with the surname Yawger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Yawger 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 Yawger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yawger
Yawger 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,183 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,183 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 192 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 Yawger 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 | #145,220 | #145,028 | 0.1% |
| Count | 114 | 116 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yawger bearers went from 114 to 116 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,028.
FAQ
Yawger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yawger?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Yawger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Yawger?
Yawger ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Yawger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Yawger.
Has Yawger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yawger went from 114 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Yawger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yawger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Yawger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yawger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Yawger (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 Yawger mean?
A variant of the German surname "Jäger" meaning hunter. 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 Yawger (0.04 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 Yawger?
See how many people have the surname Yawger on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.