Explore the Family Name Erker

The meaning of Erker

German: topographic name for someone who lived in a house with a conspicuous oriel, Middle High German ärkēr, erker. In part, this is a Gottscheerish (i.e. Gottschee German) surname, originating from the Kočevsko region in Lower Carniola, Slovenia (see Kocevar). The surname of German origin is also found in Slovenia. Some characteristic forenames: German Alois, Erna, Erwin, Frieda, Gottfried, Siegfried.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Erker in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Erker has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, Erker was ranked 38,771 in terms of frequency, with approximately 536 individuals carrying this last name. By 2010, the rank had dropped to 40,204, signifying a minor decline of 3.7%. Despite its reduced ranking, the actual number of individuals with the Erker surname increased to 545 in 2010, marking an increase of about 1.68%. However, when it comes to the concentration of this surname per 100k people, there was a decrease of 10% over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#38,771#40,204-3.7%
Count5365451.68%
Proportion per 100k0.20.18-10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Erker

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Erker also underwent changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, nearly 98.69% of Erkers identified as white, but by 2010 this percentage had decreased to 95.23%, representing a change of -3.51%. During the same decade, there were new appearances in the Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander categories. By 2010, 2.57% of Erkers identified as Hispanic and 0.92% identified as Asian/Pacific Islander. There were also individuals who identified as Black (0.92%) in 2010, which was not the case in 2000. The percentages for the American Indian and Alaskan Native category and Two or more races remained at zero throughout the decade.

20002010Change
White98.69%95.23%-3.51%
Hispanic0%2.57%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.92%0%
Black0%0.92%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%