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

Bethke, 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 Bethke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bethke in America

Bethke is the 13073rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bethke surname appeared 2,349 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bethke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bethke 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 Bethke

The surname Bethke originated in Germany and is believed to have derived from the German word "Beth," meaning a place of worship, usually a church or chapel. This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked at a church or chapel.

During the Middle Ages, it was common practice to identify individuals by their place of residence or occupation. Consequently, the surname Bethke may have originated as a descriptive name for someone associated with a church or chapel.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Bethke can be found in various German historical records, such as church registers and census records from the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of the earliest documented individuals with this surname include Johann Bethke, born in 1587 in Saxony, and Hans Bethke, a landowner in Brandenburg in the mid-17th century.

In the 18th century, the name Bethke appeared in various German regions, including Pomerania, Silesia, and Prussia. One notable individual from this period was Friedrich Bethke, a Lutheran pastor born in 1721 in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland).

As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Bethke, Bettke, and Betke. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciations.

Notable individuals with the surname Bethke include:

1. Jenna Bethke (born 1991), an American singer-songwriter and author.
2. Eduard Bethke (1837-1913), a German painter and illustrator.
3. Johann Friedrich Bethke (1801-1859), a German botanist and professor.
4. Wilhelm Bethke (1870-1944), a German architect and city planner.
5. Gustav Bethke (1857-1915), a German writer and poet.

While the surname Bethke has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the German word "Beth" and its association with places of worship.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bethke

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

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

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

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