2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ancker
A variant spelling of the German topographic surname meaning "dweller by the meadow or marsh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Ancker. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ancker 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Ancker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ancker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ancker
The surname Ancker has its roots in Germany, where it first appeared in the late medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Anker," which means anchor. This suggests that the name was likely first borne by someone who lived near a harbor or had some connection to maritime activities.
The earliest recorded instances of the Ancker surname can be traced back to the 15th century in the German city of Hamburg. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Ancker, a merchant who lived in Hamburg in the 1460s.
As the name spread throughout Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, including Anker, Anker, and Anckar. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the whims of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
In the 16th century, the Ancker surname made its way to the Netherlands, where it was sometimes written as Anker or Ancker. One notable bearer of the name was Pieter Jansz Ancker, a Dutch sea captain who was born in 1537 and was known for his voyages to the East Indies.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Ancker name appeared in various parts of Europe, including France and England. In France, the name was sometimes spelled as Ancre, while in England, it was often rendered as Anker or Anchor.
One of the most famous individuals with the Ancker surname was Johann Peter Ancker, a German composer and organist who lived from 1635 to 1720. He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and was also a skilled performer.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich Ancker, a German theologian and author who lived from 1735 to 1788. He wrote several works on theology and was also known for his sermons.
In the 19th century, the Ancker surname began to spread beyond Europe, with some individuals bearing the name emigrating to the United States and other parts of the world. One such individual was Carl Ancker, a German-American artist who was born in 1828 and is known for his landscape paintings.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Ancker, a German-American brewer who was born in 1842 and founded the Ancker Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri, which operated from 1865 to 1920.
Overall, the Ancker surname has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with its origins rooted in the German language and maritime traditions. While the name has undergone various spelling variations over time, its essential meaning and connection to anchors and seafaring activities remain intact.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ancker
Among Census respondents with the surname Ancker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ancker 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 Ancker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ancker
Ancker 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-6 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Down 294 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 6,064 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 Ancker 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 | #144,141 | #150,205 | -4.2% |
| Count | 115 | 109 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ancker bearers went from 115 to 109 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 6,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #150,205.
FAQ
Ancker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ancker?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Ancker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Ancker?
Ancker ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Ancker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ancker.
Has Ancker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ancker went from 115 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Ancker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ancker, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Ancker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ancker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Ancker (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 Ancker mean?
A variant spelling of the German topographic surname meaning "dweller by the meadow or marsh." 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 Ancker (0.04 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 Ancker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.