2000
#6,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,468
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Luker
An English occupational surname referring to a lock maker or locksmith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,035 Americans carry the last name Luker. That puts it at #7,315 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luker 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 Luker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,074
Census rank
#7,315
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,391 bearers of the surname Luker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7315th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luker
Among Census respondents with the surname Luker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Luker 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 Luker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 3,938
- Two or more races3.6% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 149
- Black or African American2.1% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luker
Luker 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
#7,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,629
+161 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 285 places
2020
#7,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,391
-238 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,925 | 4,468 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,210 | 4,629 | 1.57 | +161 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 285 places |
| 2020 | #7,315 | 4,391 | 1.47 | -238 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 105 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 Luker 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 | #7,210 | #7,315 | -1.5% |
| Count | 4,629 | 4,391 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.47 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luker bearers went from 4,629 to 4,391 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,210 to #7,315.
FAQ
Luker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luker?
Name Census estimates that about 5,035 living Americans carry the surname Luker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,074 residents.
How common is Luker?
Luker ranks #7,315 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 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 4,391 people with the surname Luker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,035), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 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 Luker.
Has Luker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luker went from 4,629 recorded bearers to 4,391. That is a decrease of 238 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,210 to #7,315.
What does the Census say about the background of Luker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Luker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (3,938 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Luker (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 Luker mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a lock maker or locksmith. 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 Luker (1.47 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 are called Luker?
You can see how many people have the last name Luker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.