2000
#2,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,178
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.89
Uncommon Last name
Hacker
An occupational surname referring to someone who hacks wood or makes hoes, tools for digging and shaping soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,433 Americans carry the last name Hacker. That puts it at #2,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,748 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hacker 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 Hacker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,748
Census rank
#2,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,586 bearers of the surname Hacker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hacker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hacker
The surname Hacker has its roots in the German language, originating in Germany during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German word "Hacker," which referred to a person who worked with a hoe or mattock, a tool used for digging and breaking up soil. This occupation-based surname suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely farmers or agricultural workers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hacker can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfaliarum, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, where a certain "Wernherus Hacker" is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use during this time period, particularly in the Westphalia region of Germany.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from different parts of Germany, such as the Urkundenbuch des Klosters Eberbach, where a "Heinricus Hacker" is mentioned in 1271, and the Urkundenbuch des Klosters Arnsburg, which references a "Cunradus Hacker" in 1292.
The surname Hacker has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Hackenheim and Hackenberg, which may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the name in certain regions.
One notable bearer of the surname Hacker was Johann Hacker (1664-1738), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. Another prominent figure was Christian Hacker (1714-1782), a German theologian and writer who authored several works on religion and philosophy.
In the 19th century, Johann Nepomuk Hacker (1813-1891) was a German Catholic theologian and writer who served as the Bishop of Bamberg from 1884 until his death. Georg Hacker (1835-1923) was a German Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively on the history of the Catholic Church in Germany.
The surname Hacker also found its way to other parts of Europe, including Austria, where Franz Hacker (1900-1980) was a notable Austrian writer and poet, known for his works exploring themes of love, nature, and human existence.
While the surname Hacker has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including English-speaking countries, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hacker
Among Census respondents with the surname Hacker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hacker 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 Hacker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 11,398
- Two or more races3.6% · 448
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 378
- Black or African American1.6% · 203
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hacker
Hacker 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
#2,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,625
+447 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#2,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,586
-1,039 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,513 | 13,178 | 4.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,642 | 13,625 | 4.62 | +447 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #2,789 | 12,586 | 4.21 | -1,039 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 147 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 Hacker 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 | #2,642 | #2,789 | -5.6% |
| Count | 13,625 | 12,586 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.62 | 4.21 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hacker bearers went from 13,625 to 12,586 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 147 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,642 to #2,789.
FAQ
Hacker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hacker?
Name Census estimates that about 14,433 living Americans carry the surname Hacker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,748 residents.
How common is Hacker?
Hacker ranks #2,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,586 people with the surname Hacker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Hacker.
Has Hacker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hacker went from 13,625 recorded bearers to 12,586. That is a decrease of 1,039 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,642 to #2,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Hacker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hacker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) 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 Hacker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (11,398 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hacker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), 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 Hacker (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 Hacker mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who hacks wood or makes hoes, tools for digging and shaping soil. 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 Hacker (4.21 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 Hacker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.