2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Telker
An English surname derived from the occupation of a tallower or tallow chandler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Telker. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Telker 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Telker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Telker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Telker
The surname TELKER has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "telch," which referred to a small pond or pool of water. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked around such bodies of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the village of Oberhausen, where a man named Hans Telker was born in 1572. Records from the nearby town of Dortmund also mention a blacksmith named Peter Telker, who was active in the early 1600s.
As the name spread across Germany, it took on various spellings, such as Telcker, Telker, and Telcher. These variations can be seen in church records and local archives from the 17th and 18th centuries.
In 1712, a man named Johann Telker was born in the town of Möhringen, near Stuttgart. He later became a prominent figure in the local community and served as a magistrate. His son, Friedrich Telker (1745-1819), followed in his footsteps and worked as a lawyer and judge.
During the 19th century, the name TELKER made its way to other parts of Europe and even across the Atlantic. One notable bearer was the German-American artist Emil Telker (1855-1933), who was born in Bavaria and later emigrated to the United States, where he became known for his landscape paintings.
Another individual of note was the British scientist and inventor Charles Telker (1879-1957), who made significant contributions to the field of electrical engineering. His work on early radio technology earned him several patents and recognition from the scientific community.
In the realm of literature, the German author and poet Helene Telker (1891-1968) gained acclaim for her novels and short stories, which often explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the surname TELKER has left its mark across various fields and regions, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry woven by those who bore this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Telker
Among Census respondents with the surname Telker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Telker 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 Telker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 95
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Telker
Telker 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,674 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,674 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 1,501 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 Telker 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 | #153,769 | #155,270 | -1.0% |
| Count | 106 | 101 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Telker bearers went from 106 to 101 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 1,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,270.
FAQ
Telker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Telker?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Telker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Telker?
Telker ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Telker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Telker.
Has Telker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Telker went from 106 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Telker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Telker, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Telker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Telker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Black (2.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Telker (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 Telker mean?
An English surname derived from the occupation of a tallower or tallow chandler. 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 Telker (0.03 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 have the last name Telker?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Telker at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.