2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kauker
An English surname derived from the Dutch "kok" meaning cook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kauker. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kauker 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kauker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauker, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kauker
The surname KAUKER has its origins in Germany, emerging around the late 16th century. It is believed to derive from the German word "kauker," which referred to a person who traded in medicinal herbs or spices. The name likely originated in regions where the cultivation and trade of these commodities were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KAUKER can be found in the town records of Arnstadt, Thuringia, dated 1593. Here, a merchant named Hans Kauker was listed as a seller of spices and medicinal herbs. This provides a direct link between the name's etymology and the occupation it initially denoted.
In the 17th century, the name KAUKER appeared in various church registers and municipal records across central Germany. Notable examples include Johann Kauker, a spice merchant born in Erfurt in 1624, and Anna Kauker, a midwife from Weimar, whose birth is recorded in 1652.
As the name spread beyond its initial geographic confines, it experienced some variations in spelling. Variations such as Kaucker, Kauker, and Kaukert can be found in historical documents from different regions of Germany.
One of the earliest known uses of the name KAUKER in literature can be found in the writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the renowned German writer and polymath. In his autobiographical work "Dichtung und Wahrheit" (Poetry and Truth), Goethe mentions a merchant named Kauker, who supplied his family with spices and herbs.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname KAUKER. These include:
1. Friedrich Kauker (1768-1843), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in Saxony.
2. August Kauker (1822-1899), a German-American architect who designed several prominent buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
3. Therese Kauker (1858-1932), a German-American actress and opera singer who performed in theaters across Europe and the United States.
4. Otto Kauker (1892-1949), a German artist and sculptor known for his works in bronze and marble.
5. Gerhard Kauker (1918-2005), a German-American physicist who contributed to the development of radar technology during World War II.
While the name KAUKER originated in a specific occupational context, it has since become a well-established surname in its own right, transcending its initial associations with the spice and herb trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kauker
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauker, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kauker 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 Kauker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 111
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kauker
Kauker 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,280 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,726 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 11,280 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,726 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 Kauker 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 | #139,228 | #147,954 | -6.3% |
| Count | 120 | 112 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kauker bearers went from 120 to 112 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,726 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kauker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kauker?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kauker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kauker?
Kauker ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Kauker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Kauker.
Has Kauker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kauker went from 120 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kauker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kauker, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Kauker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kauker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Kauker (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 Kauker mean?
An English surname derived from the Dutch "kok" meaning cook. 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 Kauker (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 people have the last name Kauker?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kauker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.