2000
#9,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Aker
An English occupational surname referring to a ploughman or field worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,415 Americans carry the last name Aker. That puts it at #10,288 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aker 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
3.4K
1 in 100,367
Census rank
#10,288
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,978 bearers of the surname Aker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10288th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aker, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aker
The surname "AKER" is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who worked as a ploughman or farmer, derived from the Old English word "æcere," meaning "cultivated field" or "acre of land."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where it appears as "Aylmer le Aker." This document was a survey of land ownership and tenants, indicating that the name was already in use during that period.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Aker," "Akyr," and "Akere," in various records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire (1327) and the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire (1379).
The name "AKER" is also found in the renowned Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name may have been in use even earlier than the 13th century.
One notable individual bearing the surname "AKER" was John Aker, who served as the Sheriff of London in 1445. Another prominent figure was William Aker, a merchant and alderman in the City of London in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname is recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where Thomas Aker was baptized in 1583.
The name "AKER" is also associated with several place names in England, such as Aker's Green in Worcestershire and Aker's Hill in Gloucestershire, which may have influenced the surname's development.
Other notable individuals with the surname "AKER" include:
1. Charles Aker (1808-1879), an English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London.
2. Mary Aker (1833-1905), a British artist and painter known for her still-life and landscape works.
3. John Aker (1871-1946), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
4. William Aker (1892-1964), an American novelist and short story writer who explored themes of rural life and the American West.
5. Elizabeth Aker (1905-1988), a British historian and author who specialized in the history of the English Reformation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aker
Among Census respondents with the surname Aker, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Aker 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 Aker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 2,606
- Black or African American5.0% · 148
- Two or more races3.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aker
Aker 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
#9,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,408
+256 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#10,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,978
-430 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 749 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,463 | 3,152 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,539 | 3,408 | 1.16 | +256 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #10,288 | 2,978 | 1.00 | -430 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 749 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 Aker 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 | #9,539 | #10,288 | -7.9% |
| Count | 3,408 | 2,978 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.00 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aker bearers went from 3,408 to 2,978 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 749 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,539 to #10,288.
FAQ
Aker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aker?
Name Census estimates that about 3,415 living Americans carry the surname Aker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,367 residents.
How common is Aker?
Aker ranks #10,288 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,978 people with the surname Aker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Aker.
Has Aker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aker went from 3,408 recorded bearers to 2,978. That is a decrease of 430 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,539 to #10,288.
What does the Census say about the background of Aker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aker, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Aker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (2,606 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (5.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Aker (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 Aker mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a ploughman or field worker. 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 Aker (1.00 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 are called Aker?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Aker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.