2000
#315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 88,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.66
Uncommon Last name
Becker
An occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who bakes and sells bread and pastries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 96,927 Americans carry the last name Becker. That puts it at #367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 28.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Becker 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 Becker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
97K
1 in 3,536
Census rank
#367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
28.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
85K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 84,525 bearers of the surname Becker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 28.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Becker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Becker
The surname Becker originated from the German language, and its earliest roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany. The name is derived from the Old German word "bach," which means "stream" or "brook," and the occupational term "becker," which referred to a baker.
In the early medieval period, the name was often written as "Beckere" or "Beckher," reflecting the phonetic spelling of the time. As the surname evolved, it became associated with individuals who lived near a stream or worked as bakers, or both.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Becker can be found in the Heidelberg Manuscript, a 13th-century document that lists several individuals with the surname. In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Johannes Becker was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne.
The surname Becker also appears in the Berne Shilling Book, a medieval tax register from the city of Berne, Switzerland, dating back to the early 15th century. This suggests that the name had spread beyond the borders of Germany by that time.
During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the surname Becker. One such person was Cornelius Becker (1561-1604), a Dutch cartographer and engraver who created some of the earliest detailed maps of the Netherlands.
Another significant figure was Johann Philipp Becker (1638-1711), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Dukes of Saxe-Gotha.
In the 18th century, Georg Becker (1719-1783), a German jurist and philosopher, gained recognition for his work on natural law and the philosophy of law.
Moving into the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Becker surname was Nikolaus Becker (1809-1845), a German revolutionary and poet who was involved in the failed Revolutions of 1848-1849.
In the United States, John Becker (1830-1904) was a prominent figure in the labor movement and co-founded the International Typographical Union, one of the earliest national labor unions in the country.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Becker, a name with deep roots in German culture and tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Becker
Among Census respondents with the surname Becker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Becker 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 Becker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 77,672
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,834
- Two or more races3.0% · 2,530
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 697
- Black or African American0.6% · 542
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 250
Timeline
Historical Census data for Becker
Becker 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
#357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 87,859
-255 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 29.78
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 84,525
-3,334 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 28.28
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #315 | 88,114 | 32.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #357 | 87,859 | 29.78 | -255 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #367 | 84,525 | 28.28 | -3,334 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 10 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 Becker 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 | #357 | #367 | -2.8% |
| Count | 87,859 | 84,525 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 29.78 | 28.28 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Becker bearers went from 87,859 to 84,525 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #357 to #367.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Becker
FAQ
Becker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Becker?
Name Census estimates that about 96,927 living Americans carry the surname Becker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,536 residents.
How common is Becker?
Becker ranks #367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 28.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 28 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 84,525 people with the surname Becker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (96,927), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 28.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 28.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 28 of them to have the surname Becker.
Has Becker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Becker went from 87,859 recorded bearers to 84,525. That is a decrease of 3,334 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #357 to #367.
What does the Census say about the background of Becker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Becker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Becker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (77,672 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Becker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Becker (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 Becker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a baker or someone who bakes and sells bread and pastries. 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 Becker (28.28 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 Becker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.