2000
#12,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,372
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Bethke
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Bertha, meaning "bright one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,594 Americans carry the last name Bethke. That puts it at #12,983 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bethke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,134
Census rank
#12,983
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,262 bearers of the surname Bethke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12983rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bethke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bethke
Among Census respondents with the surname Bethke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bethke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bethke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,070
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 93
- Two or more races2.7% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bethke
Bethke appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,349
-23 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 1,003 places
2020
#12,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,262
-87 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,070 | 2,372 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,073 | 2,349 | 0.80 | -23 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 1,003 places |
| 2020 | #12,983 | 2,262 | 0.76 | -87 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 90 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bethke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,073 | #12,983 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,349 | 2,262 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.76 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bethke bearers went from 2,349 to 2,262 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,073 to #12,983.
FAQ
Bethke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bethke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,594 living Americans carry the surname Bethke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,134 residents.
How common is Bethke?
Bethke ranks #12,983 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,262 people with the surname Bethke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,594), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bethke.
Has Bethke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bethke went from 2,349 recorded bearers to 2,262. That is a decrease of 87 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,073 to #12,983.
What does the Census say about the background of Bethke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bethke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bethke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,070 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bethke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bethke (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bethke mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a diminutive of the given name Bertha, meaning "bright one." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bethke (0.76 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bethke?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Bethke? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.