Luker last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Luker

An English occupational surname referring to a lock maker or locksmith.

Luker, 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 Luker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Luker in America

Luker is the 7210th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Luker surname appeared 4,629 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Luker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Luker 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 7210 6925 4.03%
Count 4,629 4,468 3.54%
Proportion per 100k 1.57 1.66 -5.57%

The history of the last name Luker

The surname Luker is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "loke," meaning "lock" or "enclosure," potentially indicating an ancestor who lived near a locked or enclosed area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert le Luker, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273.

In the 14th century, variations of the name appeared in historical records, including Lokere, Loker, and Lokere. The Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327 mention a William le Lokere, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332 refer to a John le Lokere.

The Luker surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Lucker in Northumberland and Loker in Somerset. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Luker throughout history include:

  1. John Luker (c. 1550-1615), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of King James I.
  2. William Luker (1781-1855), an English engraver and artist known for his topographical engravings of London.
  3. Sir Oliver Joseph Luker (1834-1906), a British politician and industrialist who served as a Member of Parliament for Pudsey from 1892 to 1906.
  4. Bertha Luker (1873-1966), an American educator and activist who fought for women's suffrage and labor rights.
  5. Sidney Luker (1871-1944), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire and Somerset in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the Luker surname may have evolved from various regional dialects and place names, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, with potential links to the Old English word for "lock" or "enclosure."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Luker

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

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 Luker was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.85% 4,298
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.94% 90
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.52% 24
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.52% 24
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.07% 96
Hispanic Origin 2.10% 97

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 Luker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.85% 94.63% -1.90%
Black 1.94% 2.15% -10.27%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.52% 0.29% 56.79%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.52% 0.54% -3.77%
Two or More Races 2.07% 1.41% 37.93%
Hispanic 2.10% 0.98% 72.73%

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Luker, 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!

"Luker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/luker-surname-popularity/.

"Luker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/luker-surname-popularity/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Luker last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/luker-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.