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

Forker, 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 Forker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forker in America

Forker is the 25535th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forker surname appeared 967 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 Forker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forker 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 Forker

The surname Forker has its origins in the German language, and is believed to have emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Forker," which means "a person who operates a fork or pitchfork." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who worked in agriculture or farming communities.

The earliest recorded instances of the Forker surname can be found in various German regions, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest documented references to this name date back to the late 15th century, where it appears in various local records and parish registers.

One notable historical reference to the Forker name can be found in the "Deutsches Familienbuch," a comprehensive compendium of German family names published in the late 19th century. This work provides valuable insights into the geographical distribution and variations of the Forker surname within Germany during that period.

In terms of notable individuals bearing the Forker name, one of the earliest recorded examples is Hans Forker, a farmer from the village of Burglengenfeld in Bavaria, who lived in the late 16th century. Another prominent figure was Johann Forker, a prominent merchant and landowner in Saxony, who lived between 1620 and 1692.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Forker name spread beyond Germany, with some families emigrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable bearer of this surname was Wilhelm Forker, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century and became a respected farmer and community leader.

In the 19th century, the Forker name gained further recognition with the birth of Friedrich Forker (1819-1890), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy. Another notable figure was Karl Forker (1856-1922), a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early automotive technologies.

Throughout history, the Forker name has maintained a strong connection to its German roots, reflecting the agricultural and rural origins from which it emerged. While the surname has since spread to various parts of the world, its early roots can be traced back to the farming communities of medieval Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forker

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!