2000
#18,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,427
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Wilker
A variant spelling of the German surname Wilker, referring to someone from Wilkau, a town in Saxony.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,461 Americans carry the last name Wilker. That puts it at #20,975 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,603 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilker 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 Wilker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 234,603
Census rank
#20,975
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,274 bearers of the surname Wilker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20975th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilker
The surname Wilker is believed to have its origins in Germany. This name is thought to date back to the medieval period and is associated with the regions of Saxony and other parts of central Germany. The name may have originally been derived from the old Germanic personal name Wilkher, which itself is composed of the elements "wil," meaning "will" or "desire," and "heri," meaning "army." This suggests that the name might have initially been used to describe someone who was determined or resolute in military contexts.
Old records indicate that variations of the surname Wilker appear in medieval manuscripts and documents. For instance, a reference to a "Wylkere" can be found in documents from the 13th century in Saxony. Over time, the name underwent slight variances in spelling due to regional dialects and the evolution of language, resulting in versions like Wilkher and Wilkur.
The earliest recorded instance of the Wilker surname is found in a 14th-century document from the region surrounding Leipzig, Germany. Additionally, the name appeared in tax records and property documents in the 15th century. These records often provide insight into the socioeconomic status of families bearing the Wilker name, indicating that they were likely landowners or involved in local governance.
Several notable individuals have carried the surname Wilker. One of the earliest notable figures is Hans Wilker, born in 1514 in Leipzig, who was known for his involvement in regional trade and commerce. Another prominent figure is Johann Wilker (1568-1631), a respected scholar and clergyman in Saxony, who contributed to theological debates of his time. In the 18th century, Friedrich Wilker (1721-1795) served as an advisor to the Elector of Saxony, highlighting the family's continued influence in regional politics.
In later centuries, the name Wilker continued to appear in various regions. Karl Heinrich Wilker (1789-1863), a well-known writer and poet, hailed from Berlin and contributed to German literature. In the 19th century, Max Wilker (1832-1898) emerged as a distinguished military officer in the Prussian Army, further cementing the significance of the Wilker name in German history.
The surname Wilker, while primarily rooted in German origins, also saw migration and adoption in other countries, particularly in America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This migration led to the dissemination of the Wilker name beyond its initial geographic confines. Despite these migrations, the surname retains strong connections to its Germanic roots and carries a rich historical legacy that is reflected in its notable bearers and documented records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilker
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilker 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 Wilker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,164
- Two or more races2.8% · 36
- Black or African American2.6% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilker
Wilker 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
#18,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,462
+35 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 732 places
2020
#20,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,274
-188 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 2,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,025 | 1,427 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,757 | 1,462 | 0.50 | +35 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 732 places |
| 2020 | #20,975 | 1,274 | 0.43 | -188 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 2,218 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 Wilker 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 | #18,757 | #20,975 | -11.8% |
| Count | 1,462 | 1,274 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.43 | -14.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilker bearers went from 1,462 to 1,274 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 2,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,757 to #20,975.
FAQ
Wilker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilker?
Name Census estimates that about 1,461 living Americans carry the surname Wilker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,603 residents.
How common is Wilker?
Wilker ranks #20,975 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,274 people with the surname Wilker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Wilker.
Has Wilker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilker went from 1,462 recorded bearers to 1,274. That is a decrease of 188 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,757 to #20,975.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Wilker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Black (2.6%). 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 Wilker (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 Wilker mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Wilker, referring to someone from Wilkau, a town in Saxony. 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 Wilker (0.43 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 surname Wilker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.