2000
#4,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,620
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Badger
An occupational surname referring to a person who hunts or catches badgers, or a nickname for an argumentative person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,862 Americans carry the last name Badger. That puts it at #4,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,677 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Badger 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 Badger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,677
Census rank
#4,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,728 bearers of the surname Badger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Badger, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Badger
The surname BADGER is of English origin, derived from the Middle English word "bager" or "badger," which referred to the small furry mammal known for digging burrows. The name likely emerged as a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone who trapped or hunted badgers.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname BADGER date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William le Badger, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1273. The Hundred Rolls of 1275 also record a Richard le Badgere from Oxfordshire.
The BADGER surname is believed to have originated in various regions of England, particularly in counties such as Staffordshire, Oxfordshire, and Derbyshire, where badgers were more prevalent. The name may have also derived from certain place names containing the word "badger," such as Badger Hill in Shropshire or Badger's Cross in Somerset.
In the 14th century, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire mentioned a John Badger in 1327. The name also appeared in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, with a record of Johanna Badgere.
One notable early bearer of the BADGER surname was Sir John Badger (c. 1460-1518), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Wolverton, Dorset. He served as Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset in 1497.
Another well-known figure with the BADGER surname was Richard Badger (c. 1575-1635), an English printer and bookseller from London. He was a prominent publisher of theological works and served as the printer to the University of Cambridge.
In the 17th century, a significant bearer of the name was Thomas Badger (c. 1612-1685), an English clergyman and academic. He was a fellow of Wadham College, Oxford, and served as the vicar of Britwell Salome in Oxfordshire.
The BADGER surname has also had notable bearers in more recent centuries. John Badger (1788-1846) was an English engraver and artist known for his landscape paintings and engravings of English scenery.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Algernon Badger (1823-1889), an English scientist and chemist. He was a fellow of the Royal Society and made significant contributions to the study of organic chemistry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Badger
Among Census respondents with the surname Badger, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Badger 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 Badger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 5,754
- Black or African American17.0% · 1,310
- Two or more races4.7% · 360
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 197
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Badger
Badger 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
#4,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,987
+367 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.71
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#4,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,728
-259 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,308 | 7,620 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,442 | 7,987 | 2.71 | +367 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #4,449 | 7,728 | 2.59 | -259 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 7 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 Badger 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 | #4,442 | #4,449 | -0.2% |
| Count | 7,987 | 7,728 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.71 | 2.59 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Badger bearers went from 7,987 to 7,728 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,442 to #4,449.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Badger
FAQ
Badger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Badger?
Name Census estimates that about 8,862 living Americans carry the surname Badger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,677 residents.
How common is Badger?
Badger ranks #4,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,728 people with the surname Badger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,862), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Badger.
Has Badger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Badger went from 7,987 recorded bearers to 7,728. That is a decrease of 259 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,442 to #4,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Badger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Badger, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Badger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (5,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Badger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (17.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Badger (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 Badger mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who hunts or catches badgers, or a nickname for an argumentative person. 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 Badger (2.59 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 have the last name Badger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Badger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.