2000
#13,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Volker
A German occupational surname referring to a fowler or bird catcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,109 Americans carry the last name Volker. That puts it at #15,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,520 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Volker 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
2.1K
1 in 162,520
Census rank
#15,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,839 bearers of the surname Volker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Volker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Volker
The surname Volker is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "volk," which means "people" or "nation." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was part of a particular ethnic or cultural group.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Volker can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the former German principality of Anhalt, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also mentioned in various medieval records and chronicles from regions such as Saxony and Thuringia.
During the Middle Ages, the name Volker was often associated with place names or locations. For instance, there are references to individuals hailing from places like Volkershausen, a village in the German state of Thuringia, and Volkmarsen, a town in the state of Hesse.
One notable bearer of the surname Volker was Johann Volker, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1498 to 1561. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and was known for his writings on Protestant theology.
Another prominent figure with the surname Volker was Georg Volker, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1615 to 1693. He was renowned for his religious and historical paintings, as well as his engravings of landscapes and architectural works.
In the 18th century, Friedrich Volker, a German philosopher and writer, made a name for himself with his works on ethics and moral philosophy. He was born in 1733 and died in 1805.
Moving into the 19th century, Karl Volker, a German botanist and explorer, gained recognition for his expeditions to South America and his contributions to the study of plant life. He lived from 1803 to 1867.
Another notable figure from this period was Wilhelm Volker, a German composer and music theorist who lived from 1835 to 1909. He was known for his compositions for piano and his writings on music theory and harmony.
Overall, the surname Volker has a rich history rooted in German culture and traditions, with various notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Volker
Among Census respondents with the surname Volker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Volker 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 Volker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,716
- Two or more races3.2% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Volker
Volker 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
#12,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,471
+374 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 793 places
2020
#15,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,839
-632 bearers (-25.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 2,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,333 | 2,097 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,540 | 2,471 | 0.84 | +374 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 793 places |
| 2020 | #15,363 | 1,839 | 0.62 | -632 bearers (-25.6%) | Down 2,823 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 Volker 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 | #12,540 | #15,363 | -22.5% |
| Count | 2,471 | 1,839 | -25.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.62 | -26.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Volker bearers went from 2,471 to 1,839 (-25.6% change). The surname moved down 2,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,540 to #15,363.
FAQ
Volker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Volker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,109 living Americans carry the surname Volker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,520 residents.
How common is Volker?
Volker ranks #15,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,839 people with the surname Volker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Volker.
Has Volker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Volker went from 2,471 recorded bearers to 1,839. That is a decrease of 632 (-25.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,540 to #15,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Volker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Volker, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Volker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Volker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Volker (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 Volker mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a fowler or bird catcher. 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 Volker (0.62 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 common is the surname Volker?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Volker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.