2000
#1,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.03
Uncommon Last name
Akers
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked on cultivated oak trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,261 Americans carry the last name Akers. That puts it at #1,460 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,573 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Akers 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 Akers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,573
Census rank
#1,460
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,773 bearers of the surname Akers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1460th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Akers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Akers
The surname Akers has its origins in England and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "æcern," meaning "field" or "cultivated land." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked on a field or farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Akers can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. This comprehensive survey, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded landowners and their properties across England. The name appeared as "Achers" in the county of Warwickshire.
During the 13th century, the surname began to appear in various spellings, such as "Aker," "Akyr," and "Achere." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Akers Farm in Somerset and Akers Green in Kent.
Notable individuals with the surname Akers include John Akers (1944-), an American businessman who served as the CEO of IBM from 1985 to 1993. Another prominent figure was Benjamin Paul Akers (1825-1861), an American sculptor known for his works like the Benjamin Franklin statue in Boston.
During the 16th century, the surname Akers gained further recognition with the birth of Thomas Akers (1548-1624), an English composer and organist who served as the master of the choristers at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
In the 18th century, Aretas Akers (1784-1853), an American lawyer and politician from New Hampshire, made a name for himself as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Another notable figure was Benjamin Akers (1825-1861), an English sculptor whose works included the allegorical figure "America" on the Albert Memorial in London.
As the centuries passed, the Akers surname continued to spread across various regions of England and eventually to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of the original Akers settlers can be found today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akers
Among Census respondents with the surname Akers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Akers 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 Akers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 20,754
- Black or African American4.4% · 1,039
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,030
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 672
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 133
Timeline
Historical Census data for Akers
Akers 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
#1,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,290
+937 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 8.57
Rank movement Down 75 places
2020
#1,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,773
-1,517 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 7.95
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,330 | 24,353 | 9.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,405 | 25,290 | 8.57 | +937 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 75 places |
| 2020 | #1,460 | 23,773 | 7.95 | -1,517 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 55 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 Akers 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 | #1,405 | #1,460 | -3.9% |
| Count | 25,290 | 23,773 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.57 | 7.95 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Akers bearers went from 25,290 to 23,773 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,405 to #1,460.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Akers
FAQ
Akers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Akers?
Name Census estimates that about 27,261 living Americans carry the surname Akers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,573 residents.
How common is Akers?
Akers ranks #1,460 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,773 people with the surname Akers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Akers.
Has Akers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Akers went from 25,290 recorded bearers to 23,773. That is a decrease of 1,517 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,405 to #1,460.
What does the Census say about the background of Akers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Akers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Akers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (20,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Akers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Akers (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 Akers mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near or worked on cultivated oak trees. 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 Akers (7.95 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 Americans have the surname Akers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.