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

Paker, 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 Paker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paker in America

Paker is the 83541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paker surname appeared 225 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 Paker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paker 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 Paker

The surname PAKER is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be an occupational name derived from the Old English term "pakere," which referred to a person who packed goods or merchandise for transportation or storage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PAKER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a "Robertus le Pakere" is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time and may have been associated with the trade of packing goods.

In the 13th century, the surname PAKER appears in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a "Willelmus le Pakere." This spelling variation, with the addition of the prefix "le," was common during that era and served to distinguish individuals by their occupation.

The PAKER name can also be traced back to place names, such as Packer's Green in Buckinghamshire and Packer's Farm in Hertfordshire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the PAKER surname who resided or worked there.

One notable figure associated with the PAKER surname was Sir William Paker (c. 1490-1572), a merchant and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was instrumental in establishing trade relations between England and Russia.

Another historical figure was John Paker (c. 1572-1619), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1616 to 1617.

In the 17th century, a prominent member of the PAKER family was Robert Paker (1631-1688), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings, including Clarendon House in London and Highclere Castle in Hampshire.

During the 18th century, the PAKER name gained prominence with Sir Thomas Paker (1701-1765), a British naval officer who played a crucial role in several significant battles during the Seven Years' War.

Another notable figure was Mary Ann Paker (1782-1858), a British writer and poet who published several works, including "The Domestic Sketch Book" and "The Juvenile Forget Me Not."

While the PAKER surname may have evolved over time and undergone various spelling variations, its origins can be traced back to the medieval English occupation of packing goods, as well as some connections to specific place names in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paker

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

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

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

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