Explore the Family Name Waker

The meaning of Waker

English (Yorkshire): 1. mostly an early Modern English and Scots variant of Walker. 2. either a nickname for a watchful person or an occupational name for a watchman, from Middle English waker ‘watchful, vigilant’ (Old English wacor) and the derived noun.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Waker has slightly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Waker was ranked 41,859 in terms of popular surnames, but by 2010 it moved up to rank 41,303 — a modest increase of 1.33%. The number of individuals carrying this name also grew from 489 in 2000 to 527 in 2010, marking a rise of 7.77%. However, the proportion of the Waker surname per 100,000 people remained steady at 0.18.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#41,859	#41,303	1.33%
Count	489	527	7.77%
Proportion per 100k	0.18	0.18	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Waker

In terms of ethnicity, the census data reveals some shifts among those with the Waker surname between 2000 and 2010. There were no recorded Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals with this surname in either year. However, the percentage of people of two or more races with this surname saw a significant increase of 39.02%, going from 1.23% to 1.71%. The proportion of White individuals carrying the Waker surname decreased by 10.49% while the Hispanic segment witnessed an increase of 31.84%. The Black population with the surname Waker also experienced a growth of 7.83%. This information is based on the Decennial U.S. Census data.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	44.17%	47.63%	7.83%
White	51.94%	46.49%	-10.49%
Hispanic	2.45%	3.23%	31.84%
Two or More Races	1.23%	1.71%	39.02%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%