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

Ocker, 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 Ocker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ocker in America

Ocker is the 21790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ocker surname appeared 1,193 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 Ocker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ocker 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.

The history of the last name Ocker

The surname OCKER is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "ocke," which means "to plow" or "to cultivate the land." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with farmers or agricultural workers.

OCKER is believed to have first appeared in records from the region of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the 16th and 17th centuries in towns such as Halle and Merseburg.

The name OCKER has been found in various historical documents throughout the centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Johann OCKER in the records of the University of Leipzig, dating back to the late 16th century. Another early record is the appearance of a Hans OCKER in the city archives of Weimar in 1632.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname OCKER was Martin OCKER, born in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, in 1578. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region. Another notable figure was Johannes OCKER (1642-1712), a Lutheran theologian and author from Silesia (now part of Poland).

In the 19th century, Wilhelm OCKER (1835-1898) was a German writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Naturalist literary movement in Germany.

Moving into the 20th century, Karl OCKER (1888-1963) was a German painter and printmaker known for his landscape and architectural works. His works can be found in various museums and collections throughout Germany.

Another prominent individual with the surname OCKER was the German-American scientist and inventor Hans OCKER (1914-2006). He made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II and later worked for NASA on various space exploration projects.

While the OCKER surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the majority of historical records and notable individuals with this surname can be traced back to its German origins and the regions of Saxony-Anhalt and Silesia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ocker

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

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 Ocker was:

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ocker, please contact us.

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