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

Rooker, 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 Rooker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rooker in America

Rooker is the 10663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rooker surname appeared 3,000 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 Rooker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rooker 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 Rooker

The surname Rooker has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "roc," meaning rook, a type of crow. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a rookery, a colony of rooks, or perhaps had a physical resemblance to the bird.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rooker can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the 13th century, where a person named William Rooker is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, suggesting that the Rooker family may have held some prominence or wealth during that time.

In the 14th century, the spelling variations of the name included Rooker, Rooker, and Rouker. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions before the standardization of modern English.

The name Rooker has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir Samuel Rooker (1572-1629), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas during the reign of King James I.

Another prominent figure with the surname Rooker was Michael Rooker (1615-1645), an English engraver and book illustrator known for his intricate etchings and engravings in the Baroque style. His works adorned many notable publications of his time.

In the 18th century, John Rooker (1721-1779) was a notable English landscape painter and engraver. He was particularly renowned for his topographical views of London and its surroundings.

The name Rooker also appears in the history of early American settlement. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Edward Rooker, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and is considered one of the first English settlers in the colony.

Another notable figure was Michael Rooker (1746-1801), an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and later became a prominent landowner and politician in North Carolina.

Throughout its history, the surname Rooker has been associated with various occupations, from lawyers and judges to artists and landowners, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rooker

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!