Given name & surname · also Germanic
Volker
“a defender of the people”
Volker is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “a defender of the people.”
Original GermanVolkher
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “a defender of the people.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
From Old High German folc (“people, folk”), from Proto-West Germanic *folk.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1960. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Volker through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1960
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1960. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 559 as a first name in 2020; 1,839 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Volker’s family of names
In German usage, Volker shares a linguistic root with the English form FULCHER. In German usage, Volker has a related form in Folker. In German usage, Volker has a related form in Folkher.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Volker has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
8 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Volker
- Volker SchlöndorffGerman film director, screenwriter and film producer (born 1939)
- Volker FinkeGerman association football player and managerborn 1948
- Volker BeckGerman politicianborn 1960
- Volker ZotzAustrian religious studies scholarborn 1956
- Volker TürkAustrian politician and United Nations human rights chief (born 1965)
- Volker BeckEast German sprinter and hurdlerborn 1956
- Volker BouffierGerman politician (CDU), Minister President of Hesseborn 1951
- Volker BertelmannGerman composer and pianist (born 1966)
- Volker BruchGerman actorborn 1980
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Volker, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Nickey
“of the victorious people”
83% boys · 17% girls
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Johne is a surname from German.
93% boys · 7% girls
Dohn
Dohn is a surname from German.
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Sigfredo
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Roger
“fame-spear”
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“the wolf shield”
>99% boys
Diedrick
Diedrick is a surname from German.
>99% boys
Karl
“a free man”
>99% boys