2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Flocker
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold flocks (tufts or clusters of wool or fiber).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Flocker. 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 Flocker 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 Flocker 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 Flocker, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flocker
The surname Flocker has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "flocke," meaning "flake" or "tuft," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with wool or a related textile trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Saxony, where a certain Hans Flocker was mentioned in 1547. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the Flocker name appeared in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Hesse. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Flocker (1619-1677), a Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg, who published several works on religious subjects.
As the Flocker family spread across Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Flöcker, Flokker, and Flöckner. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
In the 18th century, the name Flocker began to appear in other parts of Europe as well. For instance, a certain Peter Flocker (1732-1807) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the Netherlands, owning vast estates near Amsterdam.
The 19th century saw the Flocker name gain further recognition, particularly in the field of academia. One notable figure was Wilhelm Flocker (1867-1944), a German philosopher and professor at the University of Berlin, who wrote extensively on the subject of ethics.
Another prominent bearer of the Flocker name was Maximilian Flocker (1887-1962), an Austrian engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of automotive engineering, working for companies such as Mercedes-Benz.
Although the name Flocker is not as common as some other German surnames, it has left its mark on history through the contributions of individuals in various fields, from religion and philosophy to commerce and engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flocker
Among Census respondents with the surname Flocker, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Flocker 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 Flocker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 89
- Black or African American12.7% · 14
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flocker
Flocker 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,812 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,182 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 14,812 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 3,182 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 Flocker 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 | #152,628 | #149,446 | 2.1% |
| Count | 107 | 110 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flocker bearers went from 107 to 110 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 3,182 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #149,446.
FAQ
Flocker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flocker?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Flocker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Flocker?
Flocker 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 Flocker. 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 Flocker.
Has Flocker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flocker went from 107 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Flocker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flocker, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Flocker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flocker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (12.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Flocker (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 Flocker mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold flocks (tufts or clusters of wool or fiber). 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 Flocker (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 Americans have the surname Flocker?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.