Explore the Family Name Wagner
The meaning of Wagner
1. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) (also Wägner): occupational name for a carter and (in some dialects) a cartwright, from an agent derivative of Middle High German wagen ‘cart, wagon’, German Wagen. This surname is also established in many other parts of Europe, notably in France (Alsace and Lorraine), Britain, Poland, and Denmark. In Hungary it is mostly spelled Wágner and Vágner. In Russia, Czechia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Slovakia it is also found in the Slavicized form Vagner. Compare Wagener, Waggener, and Wagoner. 2. Dutch and perhaps also English: occupational name from Middle Dutch waghenaer ‘carter’ (compare 1 above). The Dutch word is not known to have been borrowed into English before 1600 but the surname Wagner is recorded in Norfolk (England) from 1379, perhaps a substitution of the Dutch word for Middle English wainer. Compare Waggoner.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Wagner in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Wagner has seen some slight changes over a decade. In 2000, Wagner was ranked as the 152nd most popular surname in the United States with a count of 154,516. However, by 2010, its rank had dropped to 173rd despite a marginal increase in the count to 155,795. This small growth represented a modest 0.83 percent change over the ten years, while the proportion per 100,000 people dropped by 7.79 percent from 57.28 to 52.82.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #152 | #173 | -13.82% |
| Count | 154,516 | 155,795 | 0.83% |
| Proportion per 100k | 57.28 | 52.82 | -7.79% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Wagner
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Wagner surname identified as White, with 93.97 percent in 2000 and 92.47 percent in 2010, marking a decrease of 1.60 percent. Notably, there was a significant increase in the percentage of Wagners identifying as Hispanic, growing by 50.63 percent from 1.60 percent in 2000 to 2.41 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those claiming two or more races also increased, by 34.88 percent and 40.00 percent respectively. The proportion of Wagners identifying as Black saw a minimal increase of 4.00 percent, while those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native increased by 10.20 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.97% | 92.47% | -1.6% |
| Black | 2.5% | 2.6% | 4% |
| Hispanic | 1.6% | 2.41% | 50.63% |
| Two or More Races | 1% | 1.4% | 40% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.43% | 0.58% | 34.88% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.49% | 0.54% | 10.2% |
Wagner ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Wagner is French & German, which comprises 37.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (34.8%) and Eastern European (7.5%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 37.3% |
| British & Irish | 34.8% |
| Eastern European | 7.5% |
| Other | 20.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Wagner
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Wagner have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 75.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 75.00% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 74.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 74.70% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 74.40% |
What Wagner haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Wagner is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L2 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Schmidt, Snyder, Hoffman, Miller, Meyer, Schneider, Weber, Becker, Fischer, Mueller.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Wagner surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Wagner have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Wagner" Surname 40.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Wagner" Surname 25.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Wagner" Surname 19.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Wagner" Surname 17.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Wagner?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Wagner are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition