2000
#21,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.42
Rare Last name
Ocker
A surname of German origin meaning "acre" or "field".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,300 Americans carry the last name Ocker. That puts it at #23,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 263,657 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ocker 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
1.3K
1 in 263,657
Census rank
#23,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,134 bearers of the surname Ocker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The name OCKER has been found in various historical documents throughout the centuries.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ocker
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ocker 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 Ocker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,052
- Two or more races3.5% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ocker
Ocker 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
#21,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,193
+62 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 264 places
2020
#23,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,134
-59 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 1,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,526 | 1,131 | 0.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,790 | 1,193 | 0.40 | +62 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 264 places |
| 2020 | #23,144 | 1,134 | 0.38 | -59 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 1,354 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 Ocker 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 | #21,790 | #23,144 | -6.2% |
| Count | 1,193 | 1,134 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.38 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ocker bearers went from 1,193 to 1,134 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 1,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,790 to #23,144.
FAQ
Ocker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ocker?
Name Census estimates that about 1,300 living Americans carry the surname Ocker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 263,657 residents.
How common is Ocker?
Ocker ranks #23,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,134 people with the surname Ocker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Ocker.
Has Ocker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ocker went from 1,193 recorded bearers to 1,134. That is a decrease of 59 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,790 to #23,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Ocker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocker, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ocker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ocker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Ocker (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 Ocker mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "acre" or "field". 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 Ocker (0.38 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 share the surname Ocker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.