Recker last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Recker

A German occupational surname referring to a person who rakes or cleans, derived from the German verb "rechen".

Recker, 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 Recker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Recker in America

Recker is the 9373rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Recker surname appeared 3,471 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Recker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Recker 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9373 9842 -4.88%
Count 3,471 3,029 13.60%
Proportion per 100k 1.18 1.12 5.22%

The history of the last name Recker

The surname Recker is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "recken," which means "to stretch" or "to extend." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals involved in occupations such as weaving or tailoring, where stretching and extending fabric was a common task.

The earliest known records of the Recker surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. During this period, the name appeared in various written documents, such as town records and property deeds, with spellings like "Reckher" and "Recker."

One notable historical reference to the Recker name can be found in the Würzburg Episcopal Records of 1389, which mention a certain "Hans Recker" as a resident of the city. This document provides valuable insights into the early use and distribution of the surname within German-speaking regions.

In the 16th century, the Recker surname gained prominence with the rise of Johannes Recker, a notable Lutheran theologian and reformer born in Saxony in 1510. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement and left a lasting impact through his writings and sermons.

Another prominent figure bearing the Recker surname was Johann Recker, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 17th century. Born in Nuremberg in 1625, Recker's work reflected the Baroque style prevalent during his time, and several of his paintings and engravings can still be found in museums and galleries across Europe.

The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Daniel Recker, a German composer and organist born in 1744 in Dresden. Recker's compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded and influenced the development of sacred music in Germany during that era.

In the 19th century, the Recker surname gained further recognition with the birth of Wilhelm Recker in 1821 in Cologne. Recker was a prominent architect and city planner who played a crucial role in the urban development and reconstruction of several German cities, including Berlin and Frankfurt.

The name Recker has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations throughout Germany. For example, the village of Reckershausen, located in the state of Hesse, is believed to have derived its name from the Recker surname, suggesting a historic connection between the name and the settlement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Recker

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

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 Recker was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.95% 3,365
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.81% 28
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.61% 21
Hispanic Origin 1.21% 42

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.95% 98.05% -1.13%
Black 0.81% 0.46% 55.12%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.61% 0.73% -17.91%
Hispanic 1.21% 0.46% 89.82%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Recker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/recker-surname-popularity/.

"Recker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/recker-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Recker last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/recker-surname-popularity/.

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