2000
#9,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,029
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Recker
A German occupational surname referring to a person who rakes or cleans, derived from the German verb "rechen".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,783 Americans carry the last name Recker. That puts it at #9,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,604 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Recker 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
3.8K
1 in 90,604
Census rank
#9,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,299 bearers of the surname Recker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Recker, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One notable historical reference to the Recker name can be found in the Würzburg Episcopal Records of 1389, which mention a certain "Hans Recker" as a resident of the city.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Recker
Among Census respondents with the surname Recker, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Recker 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 Recker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 3,143
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 66
- Two or more races1.5% · 49
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Recker
Recker 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
#9,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,471
+442 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 469 places
2020
#9,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,299
-172 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,842 | 3,029 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,373 | 3,471 | 1.18 | +442 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 469 places |
| 2020 | #9,437 | 3,299 | 1.10 | -172 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 64 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 Recker 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 | #9,373 | #9,437 | -0.7% |
| Count | 3,471 | 3,299 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.10 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Recker bearers went from 3,471 to 3,299 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,373 to #9,437.
FAQ
Recker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Recker?
Name Census estimates that about 3,783 living Americans carry the surname Recker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,604 residents.
How common is Recker?
Recker ranks #9,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,299 people with the surname Recker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,783), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Recker.
Has Recker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Recker went from 3,471 recorded bearers to 3,299. That is a decrease of 172 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,373 to #9,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Recker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Recker, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Recker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (3,143 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Recker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Recker (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 Recker mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who rakes or cleans, derived from the German verb "rechen". 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 Recker (1.10 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 Americans have the surname Recker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.