2000
#6,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,980
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Stricker
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of rope or cord, or a nickname for a combative person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,528 Americans carry the last name Stricker. That puts it at #6,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,003 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stricker 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
5.5K
1 in 62,003
Census rank
#6,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,821 bearers of the surname Stricker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stricker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stricker
The surname Stricker is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "stricken," which means "to knit" or "to weave." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who worked as weavers, knitters, or in similar textile-related professions.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Stricker can be traced back to the 13th century in various Germanic regions, including present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Heinrich der Stricker, a renowned Middle High German poet and storyteller who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
In the 14th century, records show the name Stricker appearing in the Codex Manesse, a prestigious collection of Middle High German poetry from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. This suggests that the name had already gained recognition and significance during that era.
The Stricker surname can also be found in historical documents from the 16th century onwards, such as church records, tax rolls, and legal documents. For example, Johann Stricker, a German theologian and reformer, lived from 1516 to 1588 and was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation.
Throughout the centuries, the name Stricker has been associated with various notable individuals, including:
1. Johannes Stricker (1808-1888), a German philosopher and writer.
2. Wilhelm Stricker (1887-1978), a German architect and urban planner.
3. Samuel Stricker (1687-1770), a Swiss mathematician and physicist.
4. Friedrich Stricker (1836-1891), an Austrian pathologist and histologist.
5. Rudolf Stricker (1879-1957), a German-American painter and illustrator.
While the name Stricker originated in Germanic regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. Over time, variations in spelling and pronunciation may have emerged, such as Stryker or Striker, but the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the textile-related profession of weaving or knitting.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stricker
Among Census respondents with the surname Stricker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Stricker 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 Stricker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 4,374
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 197
- Two or more races2.9% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stricker
Stricker 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
#6,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,164
+184 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 262 places
2020
#6,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,821
-343 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,298 | 4,980 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,560 | 5,164 | 1.75 | +184 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 262 places |
| 2020 | #6,724 | 4,821 | 1.61 | -343 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 164 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 Stricker 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 | #6,560 | #6,724 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,164 | 4,821 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.61 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stricker bearers went from 5,164 to 4,821 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 164 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,560 to #6,724.
FAQ
Stricker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stricker?
Name Census estimates that about 5,528 living Americans carry the surname Stricker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,003 residents.
How common is Stricker?
Stricker ranks #6,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,821 people with the surname Stricker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,528), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stricker.
Has Stricker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stricker went from 5,164 recorded bearers to 4,821. That is a decrease of 343 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,560 to #6,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Stricker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stricker, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Stricker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (4,374 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stricker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Stricker (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 Stricker mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of rope or cord, or a nickname for a combative 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 Stricker (1.61 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 are called Stricker?
You can see how common the surname Stricker is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.