2000
#3,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,273
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.81
Uncommon Last name
Acker
Derived from a topographic name referring to someone who lived by a field or cultivated land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,308 Americans carry the last name Acker. That puts it at #3,530 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,311 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Acker 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 Acker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,311
Census rank
#3,530
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,861 bearers of the surname Acker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3530th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Acker, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Acker
The surname Acker is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "ackar" or "acker," meaning "cultivated field" or "plowed land." It is an occupational surname that initially referred to someone who worked as a farmer or plowman.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Acker can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed that the name first emerged as a descriptive term for individuals whose primary occupation was tilling the soil and working on agricultural lands.
In medieval times, the Acker surname appeared in various historical records and documents, such as tax rolls, land deeds, and municipal records. One notable example is the mention of a Johannes Acker in a 14th-century land registry from the town of Nuremberg.
As the name Acker spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, including Acker, Acker, Ackerr, and Ackermann. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Acker. One of the earliest recorded was Johann Acker (c. 1480-1548), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Saxony.
Another prominent figure was Franz Acker (1863-1942), a German Catholic priest and philosopher who wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics. His works, including "Das System der Philosophischen Weltanschauung" (The System of Philosophical Worldview), were widely influential in academic circles.
In the realm of literature, Kathy Acker (1947-1997) was an American avant-garde novelist, essayist, and feminist writer known for her innovative and boundary-pushing works, such as "Blood and Guts in High School" and "Empire of the Senseless."
The Acker surname also has a notable presence in the world of sports. One example is Curt Acker (1892-1966), an American professional baseball player who played as a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns in the early 20th century.
Another individual of note is Evan Acker (born 1981), a Canadian professional ice hockey player who has played for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), including the St. Louis Blues and the Calgary Flames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Acker
Among Census respondents with the surname Acker, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Acker 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 Acker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 8,251
- Black or African American7.9% · 777
- Two or more races4.0% · 398
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 318
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Acker
Acker 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
#3,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,519
+246 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#3,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,861
-658 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.30
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,198 | 10,273 | 3.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,400 | 10,519 | 3.57 | +246 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #3,530 | 9,861 | 3.30 | -658 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 130 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 Acker 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 | #3,400 | #3,530 | -3.8% |
| Count | 10,519 | 9,861 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.57 | 3.30 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Acker bearers went from 10,519 to 9,861 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,400 to #3,530.
FAQ
Acker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Acker?
Name Census estimates that about 11,308 living Americans carry the surname Acker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,311 residents.
How common is Acker?
Acker ranks #3,530 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.30 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 9,861 people with the surname Acker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.30 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 Acker.
Has Acker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Acker went from 10,519 recorded bearers to 9,861. That is a decrease of 658 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,400 to #3,530.
What does the Census say about the background of Acker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Acker, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Acker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (8,251 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Acker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Acker (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 Acker mean?
Derived from a topographic name referring to someone who lived by a field or cultivated land. 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 Acker (3.30 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 share the surname Acker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.