Balke
A masculine German name derived from the German word "Balken" meaning "beam".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Balke. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Balke today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Balke births was 1986 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Balke. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Balke. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
1986
6 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1990 SSA rank
#8,223
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Balke: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Balke from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Balke remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Balke by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Balke during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Balke
The name Balke is of Dutch origin, deriving from the Middle Dutch word "balke," which means "beam" or "log." This name likely originated during the medieval period in the Low Countries region, which includes present-day Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of northern France.
In the Netherlands, the name Balke was initially an occupational surname given to individuals who worked with beams or logs, such as carpenters, woodworkers, or loggers. Over time, it transitioned into a given name, although its usage has been relatively rare.
Records of the name Balke can be traced back to the 16th century. One of the earliest documented instances is Balke Willems, a Dutch carpenter who lived in Haarlem in the mid-1500s. Another notable figure was Balke Jansen, a merchant from Amsterdam who was mentioned in historical documents from the late 16th century.
Throughout history, there have been a handful of individuals bearing the name Balke who achieved some level of recognition. For instance, Balke Hendriks (1620-1678) was a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. Balke Jansen van Renesse (1567-1625) was a Dutch military officer who served in the Eighty Years' War against Spain.
In the 19th century, Balke Ader (1819-1892) was a Norwegian painter renowned for his romantic depictions of Norwegian landscapes and seascapes. Balke Hansen (1867-1932) was a Norwegian architect who designed several notable buildings in Oslo.
Another notable figure was Balke Sørensen (1897-1979), a Danish author and journalist who wrote several books on cultural and historical topics.
While the name Balke has Dutch roots, it has occasionally appeared in other European countries, likely due to migration or cultural exchange. However, its usage has remained relatively uncommon compared to more popular given names.
People
Balke + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Balke as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Balke: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Balke?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Balke going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Balke a common name?
We classify Balke as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Balke most popular?
The single biggest year for Balke was 1986, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Balke is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Balke in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Balke a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Balke in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Balke still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Balke in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Balke can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Balke?
You can see how many people share the name Balke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.