Find out how popular the last name Becke is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Becke.

Becke, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Becke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Becke in America

Becke is the 93125th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Becke surname appeared 197 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Becke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Becke to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Becke

The surname Becke originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "bece," meaning a stream or brook. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus de la Beche in Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Beke, Beche, and Bech, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable figure from this period was Adam de la Beche (c. 1240-1292), an English judge and landowner.

The name continued to evolve over the centuries, with variations such as Becke, Beck, and Beck emerging. In the 16th century, Sir John Becke (c. 1510-1567) was a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Beke (1577-1648), an English navigator and explorer who accompanied Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the world in the late 16th century.

In the 18th century, the name was associated with several notable figures, including John Becke (1692-1771), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex, and Thomas Becke (1715-1795), an English inventor and engineer known for his innovations in textile machinery.

During the 19th century, the name gained further prominence with individuals such as Sir Henry Beke (1788-1874), a British naval officer and explorer who conducted extensive surveys in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden regions, and John Becke (1841-1923), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club.

Throughout its history, the surname Becke has been associated with various place names and locations in England, particularly in areas where streams or brooks were prevalent. These include places like Beckbury in Shropshire, Beckingham in Lincolnshire, and Beckley in East Sussex.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Becke

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Becke.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Becke was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Becke has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Becke was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Becke, please contact us.

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