2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Okert
A surname derived from the Old German word "acher" meaning farmer or ploughman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Okert. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Okert 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Okert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Okert, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Okert
The surname Okert is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "acher," which means field or acre, suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked on a field.
The earliest known record of the name Okert can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. This record mentions an individual named "Okertus" who was a landowner in the region.
Over time, the name Okert underwent various spelling variations, such as Ockert, Okkert, and Ockhart, due to regional dialects and the evolution of language. Some of these variations can be found in medieval records and manuscripts from different parts of Germany.
One notable figure bearing the name Okert was Johannes Okert, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1501). He studied at the University of Leipzig and later became a professor at the same institution, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 16th century, a family of burghers (citizens) named Okert resided in the city of Nuremberg, known for their involvement in local politics and trade. Heinrich Okert (c. 1520-1590) was a prominent member of this family and served as a councilman in the city's government.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Okert (1672-1745), a German composer and organist who worked in various churches and courts across Germany during the Baroque period. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded and contributed to the musical landscape of his era.
The name Okert can also be found in the records of the German settlements in North America, dating back to the 18th century. Johann Okert (1712-1783) was among the early German immigrants to Pennsylvania, where he established a farm and raised his family.
Throughout history, the surname Okert has been associated with various professions, including landowners, scholars, artisans, and merchants, reflecting the diversity of backgrounds and occupations of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Okert
Among Census respondents with the surname Okert, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Okert 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 Okert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 90
- Two or more races12.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Okert
Okert 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+21 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,299 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-12 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,509 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +21 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 11,299 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 12,509 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 Okert 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 | #134,712 | #147,221 | -9.3% |
| Count | 125 | 113 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Okert bearers went from 125 to 113 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 12,509 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #147,221.
FAQ
Okert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Okert?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Okert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Okert?
Okert ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Okert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Okert.
Has Okert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Okert went from 125 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Okert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Okert, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Okert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Okert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Two or More Races (12.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Okert (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 Okert mean?
A surname derived from the Old German word "acher" meaning farmer or ploughman. 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 Okert (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 common is the surname Okert?
See how many people have the last name Okert on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.