2000
#3,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,750
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.61
Uncommon Last name
Wicker
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wicker baskets and furniture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,087 Americans carry the last name Wicker. That puts it at #3,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,915 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wicker 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wicker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,915
Census rank
#3,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,668 bearers of the surname Wicker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wicker, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wicker
The surname Wicker is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "wiccer" or "wicere," which referred to someone who made wickerwork baskets or other woven items. This occupation-based surname first emerged in the 13th century in various parts of England.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "Wikere." Another early reference is the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which lists a "Johannes le Wykere." These records suggest that the name was initially concentrated in the southern and eastern regions of England.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Wyker," "Wykere," and "Wychere," reflecting the evolving pronunciation and regional variations. One notable example is John Wychere, a landowner from Essex mentioned in documents from 1381.
During the 16th century, the surname began to take on its modern spelling of "Wicker." A prominent figure bearing this name was Sir John Wicker (c. 1525-1598), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London who served as the city's Lord Mayor in 1597.
Other notable individuals with the surname Wicker include:
1. Ralph Wicker (1580-1649), an English Puritan minister and author.
2. William Wicker (1642-1718), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
3. John Wicker (1673-1743), an English artist known for his portraits and landscapes.
4. Elizabeth Wicker (1747-1819), an English writer and poet who published several works under the pseudonym "Eageria."
5. Thomas Wicker (1926-2011), an American journalist and author who worked for The New York Times and won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 1966.
While the name Wicker originated as an occupational surname, it eventually became associated with various place names in England, such as Wickersley in Yorkshire and Wickertown in Somerset. These place names likely derived from individuals who bore the surname Wicker and lived in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wicker
Among Census respondents with the surname Wicker, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Wicker 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 Wicker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 7,392
- Black or African American15.3% · 1,478
- Two or more races4.5% · 435
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wicker
Wicker 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
#3,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,321
+571 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 3.50
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#3,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,668
-653 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.23
Rank movement Down 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,351 | 9,750 | 3.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,462 | 10,321 | 3.50 | +571 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #3,594 | 9,668 | 3.23 | -653 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 132 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 Wicker 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 | #3,462 | #3,594 | -3.8% |
| Count | 10,321 | 9,668 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.50 | 3.23 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wicker bearers went from 10,321 to 9,668 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,462 to #3,594.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Wicker
FAQ
Wicker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wicker?
Name Census estimates that about 11,087 living Americans carry the surname Wicker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,915 residents.
How common is Wicker?
Wicker ranks #3,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,668 people with the surname Wicker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,087), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Wicker.
Has Wicker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wicker went from 10,321 recorded bearers to 9,668. That is a decrease of 653 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,462 to #3,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Wicker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wicker, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Wicker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (7,392 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wicker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (15.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Wicker (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 Wicker mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wicker baskets and furniture. 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 Wicker (3.23 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 Wicker?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Wicker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.