2000
#12,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Dekker
A Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who covers roofs with tiles or thatch, or a roofer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,598 Americans carry the last name Dekker. That puts it at #12,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dekker 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 Dekker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,930
Census rank
#12,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,266 bearers of the surname Dekker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dekker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dekker
Among Census respondents with the surname Dekker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dekker 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 Dekker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,042
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 109
- Two or more races4.0% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dekker
Dekker 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
#13,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,246
+83 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 511 places
2020
#12,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,266
+20 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 547 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,995 | 2,163 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,506 | 2,246 | 0.76 | +83 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 511 places |
| 2020 | #12,959 | 2,266 | 0.76 | +20 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 547 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 Dekker 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 | #13,506 | #12,959 | 4.1% |
| Count | 2,246 | 2,266 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.76 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dekker bearers went from 2,246 to 2,266 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 547 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,506 to #12,959.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dekker
FAQ
Dekker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dekker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,598 living Americans carry the surname Dekker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,930 residents.
How common is Dekker?
Dekker ranks #12,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,266 people with the surname Dekker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,598), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dekker.
Has Dekker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dekker went from 2,246 recorded bearers to 2,266. That is an increase of 20 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,506 to #12,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Dekker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dekker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Dekker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,042 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dekker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Dekker (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 Dekker mean?
A Dutch occupational surname referring to someone who covers roofs with tiles or thatch, or a roofer. 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 Dekker (0.76 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 Dekker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.