2000
#17,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Uecker
A German surname derived from a dialectal pronunciation of the name of the river Ocker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,963 Americans carry the last name Uecker. That puts it at #16,318 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 174,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uecker 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
2.0K
1 in 174,607
Census rank
#16,318
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,712 bearers of the surname Uecker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16318th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uecker
The surname Uecker originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "uker," which means "dweller by the water." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name lived near lakes, rivers, or marshes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Uecker can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, dated around 1280. The name was spelled "Ukere" in this text.
During the Middle Ages, the Uecker family was prominent in the German states of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. Several members of the family held positions of authority and were mentioned in various local records and chronicles from that period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Uecker (1520-1585) was a respected merchant and alderman in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. His name appears in several municipal documents from that time.
Another significant individual bearing the Uecker name was Johann Uecker (1678-1741), a German theologian and author from Saxony. He wrote several religious texts that were widely read during the 18th century.
The Uecker surname can also be found in place names across northern Germany, such as Ueckermünde, a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which derives its name from the Uecker river.
Other notable individuals with the Uecker surname include:
1. Friedrich Uecker (1824-1903), a German politician and lawyer from Pomerania.
2. Otto Uecker (1864-1936), a German architect known for his work in Berlin.
3. Ernst Uecker (1876-1938), a German philologist and linguist.
4. Wilhelm Uecker (1887-1962), a German military officer during World War I and World War II.
5. Bob Uecker (born 1935), an American former professional baseball player and renowned sports broadcaster.
While the Uecker surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to emigration and historical events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uecker
Among Census respondents with the surname Uecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Uecker 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 Uecker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,605
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 56
- Two or more races1.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uecker
Uecker 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
#16,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,771
+231 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 717 places
2020
#16,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,712
-59 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,001 | 1,540 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,284 | 1,771 | 0.60 | +231 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 717 places |
| 2020 | #16,318 | 1,712 | 0.57 | -59 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 34 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 Uecker 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 | #16,284 | #16,318 | -0.2% |
| Count | 1,771 | 1,712 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.57 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uecker bearers went from 1,771 to 1,712 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,284 to #16,318.
FAQ
Uecker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uecker?
Name Census estimates that about 1,963 living Americans carry the surname Uecker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 174,607 residents.
How common is Uecker?
Uecker ranks #16,318 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,712 people with the surname Uecker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,963), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Uecker.
Has Uecker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uecker went from 1,771 recorded bearers to 1,712. That is a decrease of 59 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,284 to #16,318.
What does the Census say about the background of Uecker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Uecker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,605 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uecker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Uecker (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 Uecker mean?
A German surname derived from a dialectal pronunciation of the name of the river Ocker. 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 Uecker (0.57 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 Uecker?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Uecker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.