Find out how popular the last name Boker is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Boker.
A surname of German origin referring to a baker or someone working with baked goods.
Boker, 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 Boker surname is from the 2010 census data.
Boker is the 51281st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Boker surname appeared 406 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 Boker.
We can also compare 2010 data for Boker 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 51281 | 44430 | 14.32% |
| Count | 406 | 456 | -11.60% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.14 | 0.17 | -19.35% |
The surname Boker is of German origin, traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "bock," meaning "buck" or "ram," and was likely an occupational name for a breeder of goats or rams. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 14th century in Bavaria, southern Germany.
In the 15th century, the name Boker appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls in the German states of Saxony and Hesse. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a Johannes Boker is listed as a landowner in 1428.
The name Boker also has ties to several place names in Germany, such as Bockenheim and Bockenau, which may have influenced the surname's development. These place names are derived from the same root word, "bock," and were likely named for their proximity to areas known for goat or ram herding.
One of the earliest known Bokers was Hans Boker, a German blacksmith and metalworker born in Remscheid, Rhineland, around 1501. He is credited with developing a technique for forging high-quality steel, which contributed to the region's reputation for metalworking.
Another notable figure was Johann Boker, a German Protestant theologian and reformer born in Aschaffenburg in 1523. He was a influential figure in the spread of Lutheranism in the region and published several theological works during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, Friedrich Boker, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1723, gained recognition for his etchings and engravings depicting landscapes and architectural subjects.
During the 19th century, the Boker name gained prominence in the United States with the arrival of German immigrants. One notable American Boker was Henry Charles Boker, a playwright and poet born in Philadelphia in 1824. He wrote several plays and poems, including the tragedy "Francesca da Rimini," which was praised for its lyrical quality.
Another American Boker of note was George Henry Boker, a civil engineer and inventor born in Philadelphia in 1823. He designed and patented several innovations in the field of hydraulic engineering, including a hydraulic dredging machine and a system for removing sediment from rivers and harbors.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Boker.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Boker was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 85.47% | 347 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 10.84% | 44 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.22% | 9 |
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 Boker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 85.47% | 87.72% | -2.60% |
| Black | 10.84% | 8.11% | 28.81% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | 1.97% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 2.22% | 1.75% | 23.68% |
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 Boker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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