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

Behnke, 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 Behnke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Behnke in America

Behnke is the 5919th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Behnke surname appeared 5,824 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Behnke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Behnke 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 Behnke

The surname Behnke has its origins in northern Germany, particularly in the regions around Berlin and Brandenburg. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "ben" or "bene," meaning "leg" or "bone," combined with the diminutive suffix "-ke," indicating a small or slight stature. The name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a distinctive physical characteristic.

One of the earliest records of the Behnke surname dates back to the late 15th century in the Brandenburg area. In 1492, a document mentions a certain "Hans Behnke" as a landowner in the village of Neuendorf bei Potsdam. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Behnke family spread across various parts of northern Germany, with branches settling in areas like Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and East Prussia. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Behnke (1532-1612), a Protestant clergyman and theologian from Lübeck, who served as a pastor in several churches and authored several religious works.

In the 18th century, the Behnke surname appears in various records and documents across northern Germany. One prominent figure was Friedrich Behnke (1738-1810), a Prussian military officer who served in the Seven Years' War and later became a colonel in the Prussian army.

As the 19th century dawned, the Behnke family continued to establish itself in various professions and fields. Carl Behnke (1801-1875) was a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Prussian National Assembly in 1848. Another notable figure was August Behnke (1830-1904), a German educator and author who wrote several textbooks on geography and history.

In more recent times, the Behnke surname has been carried by several notable individuals, including Kurt Behnke (1886-1965), a German mathematician and university professor known for his contributions to the field of functional analysis, and Günther Behnke (1910-1995), a German physicist and engineer who worked on the development of radar technology during World War II.

While the Behnke surname originated in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with descendants of the original Behnke families found in various countries around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Behnke

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

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 Behnke 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 Behnke 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 Behnke was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!