2000
#1,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,374
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.29
Uncommon Last name
Yeager
A German occupational surname referring to a hunter or gamekeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,917 Americans carry the last name Yeager. That puts it at #1,608 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yeager 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
25K
1 in 13,756
Census rank
#1,608
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,729 bearers of the surname Yeager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1608th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeager, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yeager
The surname Yeager has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "jäger," which means "hunter" or "gamekeeper." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely involved in hunting or forestry-related occupations.
In its early form, the name was often spelled as "Jäger" or "Jaeger." It wasn't until later that the anglicized spelling "Yeager" became more common, particularly among those who immigrated to English-speaking countries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Jäger was mentioned in a document dated 1387. Another notable early reference comes from the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburg, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, which includes a mention of a person named Henricus Jegere in 1402.
As the name spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, it took on various local spellings and variations, such as Jäger, Jaeger, Jeger, and Yeger, among others.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Yeager surname was Johann Yeager, a German artist born in 1582 in Nuremberg. He was known for his intricate woodcarvings and religious artwork.
Another notable figure was Ludwig Yeager (1735-1812), a German-born military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He fought alongside George Washington and was known for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the 19th century, John Yeager (1818-1892) was a German immigrant who became a successful businessman and landowner in Pennsylvania. He played a significant role in the development of the local community.
One of the most famous individuals with the Yeager surname was Chuck Yeager (1923-2020), an American aviator and former military officer. He was the first pilot to break the sound barrier in level flight, achieving this feat in 1947 while flying the experimental Bell X-1 rocket-powered aircraft.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Yeager name was William Yeager (1901-1991), an American author and journalist. He wrote several books on World War II and was known for his vivid accounts of the war's major battles and events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yeager
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeager, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Yeager 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 Yeager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 19,740
- Two or more races3.1% · 684
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 637
- Black or African American1.8% · 393
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 141
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 134
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yeager
Yeager 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
#1,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,634
+260 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 7.67
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#1,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,729
-905 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 7.27
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,463 | 22,374 | 8.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,582 | 22,634 | 7.67 | +260 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #1,608 | 21,729 | 7.27 | -905 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 26 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 Yeager 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 | #1,582 | #1,608 | -1.6% |
| Count | 22,634 | 21,729 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.67 | 7.27 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yeager bearers went from 22,634 to 21,729 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,582 to #1,608.
FAQ
Yeager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yeager?
Name Census estimates that about 24,917 living Americans carry the surname Yeager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,756 residents.
How common is Yeager?
Yeager ranks #1,608 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,729 people with the surname Yeager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,917), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Yeager.
Has Yeager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yeager went from 22,634 recorded bearers to 21,729. That is a decrease of 905 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,582 to #1,608.
What does the Census say about the background of Yeager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yeager, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Yeager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (19,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yeager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Yeager (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 Yeager mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a hunter or gamekeeper. 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 Yeager (7.27 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 Yeager?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Yeager, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.