2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Okum
Derived from a Turkish word meaning "to read", possibly a surname for a literate person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Okum. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Okum 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Okum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Okum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Okum
The surname OKUM is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Austria. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "oka," which means "oak tree," suggesting that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived near or worked with oak trees.
One of the earliest recorded references to the OKUM surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Raittenbuchensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Reittenbuch Monastery in Bavaria. This document mentions an individual named "Okunno," which is a variation of the OKUM name.
In the 14th century, there are records of a family named OKUM residing in the town of Augsburg, located in present-day Bavaria. One notable member of this family was Johannes OKUM, a merchant who lived between 1325 and 1387.
During the Renaissance period, the OKUM surname spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands. In the 16th century, a Dutch painter named Dirck OKUM (1525-1582) gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits.
Another notable figure with the OKUM surname was Johann Adam OKUM (1685-1737), a German composer and organist who lived during the Baroque era. He was known for his choral works and organ compositions.
In the 19th century, a German mathematician named Wilhelm OKUM (1817-1887) made significant contributions to the field of algebra and number theory. He worked as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
The OKUM surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany and Austria. For example, the town of Ockum in Bavaria and the village of Ockum in Saxony-Anhalt are both believed to be related to the OKUM name.
While the exact origins of the OKUM surname may remain somewhat uncertain, its long history and presence across different regions of Europe attest to its endurance and significance over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Okum
Among Census respondents with the surname Okum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Okum 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 Okum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 90
- Black or African American6.5% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Okum
Okum 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,272 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,272 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Okum 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Okum bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Okum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Okum?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Okum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Okum?
Okum ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Okum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Okum.
Has Okum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Okum went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Okum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Okum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Okum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Okum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (6.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Okum (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 Okum mean?
Derived from a Turkish word meaning "to read", possibly a surname for a literate person. 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 Okum (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 many people have the surname Okum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.