Find out how popular the last name Akre is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Akre.

Akre, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Akre surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Akre in America

Akre is the 37442nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Akre surname appeared 595 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Akre.

We can also compare 2010 data for Akre to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Akre

The surname Akre is believed to have originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the Old Norse word 'akr', meaning 'field' or 'acre'. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on a particular field or farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Akre can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents. In a document dated 1372, a person named Thorstein Akre is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction. This provides evidence of the name's existence and use in Norway during the 14th century.

Over the centuries, the name Akre has been spelled in various ways, including Aker, Akker, and Ackre. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and different transcription methods used by scribes and record-keepers.

Akre is also found as a place name in Norway, with a small village called Akre located in the municipality of Rendalen. It is possible that the surname originated from this particular location, although the precise connection is unclear.

Notable individuals with the surname Akre throughout history include:

1. Gunnar Akre (1859-1923), a Norwegian composer and conductor known for his choral works and piano compositions.
2. Kristin Akre (born 1984), a Norwegian biathlete who has competed in multiple Winter Olympic Games.
3. Sigurd Akre (1878-1962), a Norwegian-American engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of electrical engineering.
4. Torstein Akre (born 1933), a Norwegian writer and journalist who has published numerous novels and non-fiction works.
5. Einar Akre (1892-1976), a Norwegian artist and painter known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in Norway.

While the surname Akre is not among the most common in Norway or other Scandinavian countries, it has a long and established history dating back to the Middle Ages. Its origins can be traced back to the Old Norse language and its connection to agricultural lands or fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Akre

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Akre.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Akre was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Akre has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Akre was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Akre, please contact us.

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