Explore the Family Name Yager

The meaning of Yager

Americanized form of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Jäger (see Jaeger), German, Dutch, and Slovenian Jager, Slovak and Czech Jáger and Jágr, all meaning ‘hunter’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Yager in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Yager experienced a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Yager was ranked 4425th in terms of commonality, but by 2010 it had slipped to the 4766th position, reflecting a change of -7.71%. However, despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Yager surname increased marginally from 7417 in 2000 to 7427 in 2010, marking a growth of 0.13%.

20002010Change
Rank#4,425#4,766-7.71%
Count7,4177,4270.13%
Proportion per 100k2.752.52-8.36%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yager

Regarding the ethnicity of those carrying the Yager surname, data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates that there were changes in ethnic identity percentages between 2000 and 2010. The majority of Yagers identified as White, although this percentage decreased slightly from 95.85% in 2000 to 94.39% in 2010. Notably, the percentage of Yagers identifying as two or more races saw substantial growth, increasing by 76.29% over a decade. There was also a 54.14% increase in those identifying as Hispanic. The percentages of Yagers identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black remained relatively stable, while the percentage identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a decline of 20%.

20002010Change
White95.85%94.39%-1.52%
Hispanic1.33%2.05%54.14%
Two or More Races0.97%1.71%76.29%
Black0.98%0.98%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.46%0.55%19.57%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.4%0.32%-20%

Yager 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 Yager is British & Irish, which comprises 40.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (34.2%) and Eastern European (6.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Chinese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish40.7%
French & German34.2%
Eastern European6.2%
Other18.9%
Yager

Possible origins of the surname Yager

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 Yager have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom84.10%
Greater London, United Kingdom84.10%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom84.10%
West Midlands, United Kingdom83.60%
Merseyside, United Kingdom83.60%

What Yager 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 Yager is R-M420, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M420 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include J-M67 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Yeager, Gartner, Blum, Jaeger, Held, Scott, Ricci, Forster, Weber, Miller.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Yager surname are: H1, H, J1. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

yagerPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Mal'Ta Boy

Buried with a variety of trinkets including an ivory crown and stone-hewn figurines, “Mal'Ta Boy” was a freckled three-year-old who lived 24,000 years ago near Lake Baikal in Siberia. Although Mal'Ta Boy's life was cut short by unknown circumstances, his genome contains important clues about the ancestors of modern Native Americans.From Mal'Ta Boy's bone samples, researchers determined that he carried paternal haplogroup R, an ancient lineage that is still relatively common in Western Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia. One striking discovery was that Mal'Ta Boy's genome showed affinities with both modern European and Native American populations, but not with modern East Asians. This suggests present-day Native Americans are likely descended from at least two source populations: one originating in East Asia and the other closely related to Mal'ta boy's Central Siberian roots.

Your 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.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Yager 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

Yager

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Yager" Surname 47.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Yager

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Yager" Surname 27.5%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Yager

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Yager" Surname 21.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Yager

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Yager" Surname 17.8%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Yager?

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 Yager are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%