2000
#8,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,479
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Gerken
A German occupational surname referring to a tanner or leather worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,731 Americans carry the last name Gerken. That puts it at #9,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerken 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 Gerken with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,867
Census rank
#9,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,254 bearers of the surname Gerken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerken, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerken
The surname Gerken is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "gerke," which means "a worker of land." The name likely originated among agricultural communities in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Lower Saxony and Westphalia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gerken can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 13th century. The name was also mentioned in the Deutsches Städtebuch, a compilation of records from various German cities, in the 14th century.
The Gerken surname may have initially been used as a descriptive term for individuals who worked as farmers or landowners. Over time, it became a hereditary family name passed down through generations. The name underwent various spellings, such as Gerken, Gercken, and Gerchen, due to regional variations and linguistic changes.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bearing the surname Gerken emerged. One such figure was Johannes Gerken (1545-1619), a renowned Lutheran theologian and reformer from Hamburg. Another was Hans Gerken (1590-1667), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraiture.
In the 18th century, Johann Gerken (1701-1768) was a prominent German mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and authored several influential works on mathematics and astronomy.
Moving into the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Gerken (1819-1890) was a German historian and archivist who specialized in the study of medieval manuscripts and historical documents. His research shed light on the cultural and political history of northern Germany during the Middle Ages.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Gerken (1856-1924), a German engineer and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of early diesel engines. His innovations and patent filings were instrumental in the advancement of internal combustion technology.
As the Gerken surname spread across Europe and beyond, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including academics, artists, scientists, and professionals in various fields. While the specific origins and early bearers of the name may be obscured by the passage of time, the surname Gerken remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and history of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerken
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerken, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerken 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 Gerken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,986
- Two or more races3.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 27
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerken
Gerken 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
#7,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,240
+761 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 889 places
2020
#9,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,254
-986 bearers (-23.3%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 1,747 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,696 | 3,479 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,807 | 4,240 | 1.44 | +761 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 889 places |
| 2020 | #9,554 | 3,254 | 1.09 | -986 bearers (-23.3%) | Down 1,747 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 Gerken 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 | #7,807 | #9,554 | -22.4% |
| Count | 4,240 | 3,254 | -23.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.09 | -24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerken bearers went from 4,240 to 3,254 (-23.3% change). The surname moved down 1,747 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,807 to #9,554.
FAQ
Gerken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerken?
Name Census estimates that about 3,731 living Americans carry the surname Gerken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,867 residents.
How common is Gerken?
Gerken ranks #9,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,254 people with the surname Gerken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,731), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Gerken.
Has Gerken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerken went from 4,240 recorded bearers to 3,254. That is a decrease of 986 (-23.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,807 to #9,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerken, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gerken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,986 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gerken (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 Gerken mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a tanner or leather worker. 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 Gerken (1.09 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 people share the surname Gerken?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.