2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bokar
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a Norwegian place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bokar. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bokar 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bokar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bokar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bokar
The surname Bokar has its origins in the Netherlands, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "boeker," which referred to a maker or seller of books. The name likely originated in the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, where the book trade flourished during the Dutch Golden Age.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bokar can be found in the Amsterdam City Archives, where a certain Pieter Bokar is mentioned as a bookseller in the year 1587. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the Netherlands by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Bokar family seemed to have spread beyond the Netherlands, with records showing a Jan Bokar living in the German city of Cologne in 1632. This could indicate that members of the family had migrated or established trade connections in neighboring regions.
The Bokar name also appears in historical documents from the 18th century, such as the parish registers of the Dutch Reformed Church in Leiden. Here, a man named Cornelis Bokar is listed as having married Maria van der Linden in 1754.
One notable figure bearing the Bokar surname was Jacobus Bokar (1758-1834), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and cityscapes. His works can be found in various museums across the Netherlands, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Another individual of note was Johan Bokar (1876-1961), a Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam, including the Vondelpark Pavilion and the Amsterdam Public Library. His architectural style was heavily influenced by the Amsterdam School movement of the early 20th century.
In the 19th century, the Bokar name also surfaced in the United Kingdom, with records showing a family by the name of Bokar residing in the county of Yorkshire. One member of this family, William Bokar (1822-1892), was a successful businessman and landowner in the city of Leeds.
As the centuries passed, the Bokar family continued to spread across Europe and beyond, with descendants carrying on the name in countries such as Germany, France, and even as far as the United States and Australia. However, the name remains relatively uncommon, with its strongest roots still tied to the Netherlands and its historical origins in the book trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bokar
Among Census respondents with the surname Bokar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bokar 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 Bokar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 97
- Black or African American9.1% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bokar
Bokar 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,324 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 12,324 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,193 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 Bokar 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 | #147,253 | #149,446 | -1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 110 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bokar bearers went from 112 to 110 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,193 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bokar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bokar?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bokar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bokar?
Bokar ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Bokar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Bokar.
Has Bokar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bokar went from 112 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bokar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bokar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Bokar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bokar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Black (9.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Bokar (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 Bokar mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a Norwegian place name. 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 Bokar (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 people are called Bokar?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bokar is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.