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

Volkers, 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 Volkers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Volkers in America

Volkers is the 44423rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Volkers surname appeared 484 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Volkers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Volkers 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 Volkers

The surname Volkers has its origins in the Low German language and can be traced back to the regions of northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is derived from the ancient Germanic word "folk," which meant "people" or "tribe." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a community or group of individuals who inhabited a specific area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Volkers can be found in the Bructerian Chronicles, a medieval manuscript that documents the history of the Bructeri, an ancient Germanic tribe. The chronicle mentions a prominent figure named Folker van Brucken, who lived in the 8th century and is believed to be an ancestor of the modern-day Volkers family.

During the Middle Ages, the name Volkers appeared in various forms, such as Folkerts, Folkers, and Volkers, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the 12th century, a nobleman named Volkert van Geldern was granted lands in the Duchy of Gelderland, and his descendants adopted the surname Volkers.

One notable figure in the history of the Volkers name was Johannes Volkers, a Dutch explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world in the early 16th century. Johannes Volkers was born in Dordrecht, Netherlands, in 1490 and played a crucial role in the expedition, serving as a navigator and cartographer.

In the 17th century, the Volkers family gained prominence in the city of Bremen, Germany, where they were involved in the textile trade. Hans Volkers (1612-1688), a wealthy merchant, is recorded as having established a successful trading company that exported fabrics throughout Europe.

Another prominent individual bearing the surname Volkers was Pieter Volkers (1768-1842), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraiture. His works can be found in several museums across the Netherlands and Belgium.

As the Volkers name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions through migration and trade. In the 19th century, a family of Volkers settled in the British colonies of North America, where they became involved in agriculture and eventually adopted the anglicized spelling "Volkers."

Throughout its history, the surname Volkers has been associated with various professions and endeavors, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Volkers

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

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

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

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