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

Dekker, 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 Dekker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dekker in America

Dekker is the 13506th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dekker surname appeared 2,246 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dekker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dekker 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 Dekker

The surname Dekker has its origins in the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch word 'dekker', which means 'thatcher' or 'roofer'. This occupational surname likely originated in the medieval period, as it referred to individuals whose trade involved thatching roofs with reeds or other materials.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dekker can be found in Dutch municipal records from the 15th century. For example, a 'Jan Jacobsz Dekker' was mentioned in a document from the city of Leiden in 1482. The name was also present in various other Dutch regions, such as Friesland and Gelderland, during this time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Dekker appeared in various Dutch historical records, including church registers and guild documents. Variations in spelling were common, with forms like 'Decker', 'Deker', and 'Deckere' also being used.

One notable individual with the surname Dekker was Jeremias de Dekker, a Dutch Golden Age painter born in 1610 in Amsterdam. He was known for his genre scenes and portraits, and his works can be found in museums across Europe.

Another prominent Dekker was Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known by his pen name Multatuli, a Dutch writer and critic born in 1820 in Amsterdam. He is best remembered for his influential novel 'Max Havelaar', which exposed the harsh treatment of indigenous Javanese people under Dutch colonial rule.

In the 19th century, the name Dekker was also found in the United States, likely due to Dutch immigration. One example is Gerrit Dekker, a Dutch-American politician born in 1835 in the Netherlands, who later served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Another notable American with the surname Dekker was Thomas Dekker, an actor born in 1987 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is best known for his roles in television series such as 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' and 'Heroes'.

The surname Dekker also has a presence in other parts of the world, including South Africa and Australia, where Dutch settlers and immigrants have established communities over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dekker

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

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 Dekker 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 Dekker 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 Dekker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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