Find out how popular the last name Honecker is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Honecker.
A German surname originating as a topographic name for someone living near a beehive or apiary.
Honecker, 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 Honecker surname is from the 2010 census data.
Honecker is the 82613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Honecker surname appeared 228 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 Honecker.
We can also compare 2010 data for Honecker 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 82613 | 81100 | 1.85% |
| Count | 228 | 217 | 4.94% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.00% |
The surname Honecker is of German origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the region of Saxony during the late medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Honig," meaning "honey," and likely referred to a person who was involved in the production or trade of honey, such as a beekeeper or a honey merchant.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Honecker can be found in the town records of Chemnitz, a city in the modern-day state of Saxony, Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. The name appeared in various spellings, including Honecker, Honnecker, and Hönecker.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Honecker family seemed to have spread to other regions of Germany, particularly in the areas of Thuringia and Brandenburg. Some notable individuals bearing the Honecker surname during this period include Johann Honecker (1628-1692), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony, and Friedrich Honecker (1760-1828), a prominent jurist and legal scholar from Thuringia.
The 19th century saw the name Honecker become more widespread across German-speaking regions. One notable figure was Karl Honecker (1842-1905), a German painter and illustrator from Brandenburg, who gained recognition for his landscape paintings and illustrations of German folklore.
In the 20th century, the most famous person with the surname Honecker was Erich Honecker (1912-1994), the former General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and the leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 to 1989. He played a significant role in the history of East Germany and the Cold War era.
Another notable individual with the Honecker surname was Reinhard Honecker (1921-2007), the younger brother of Erich Honecker and a former high-ranking official in the East German government and the SED.
While the surname Honecker is not among the most common German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and is associated with various individuals who have made significant contributions in fields such as theology, law, art, and politics.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Honecker.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Honecker was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 93.86% | 214 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 5.70% | 13 |
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 Honecker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.86% | 97.70% | -4.01% |
| Black | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 5.70% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Honecker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Honecker, please contact us.
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!
<a href="https://namecensus.com/last-names/honecker-surname-popularity/">Honecker last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.
Simple as that.