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

Bohlke, 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 Bohlke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bohlke in America

Bohlke is the 47521st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bohlke surname appeared 446 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 Bohlke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bohlke 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 Bohlke

The surname Bohlke is of German origin, first appearing in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old German word "bolle," which referred to a rounded hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, given to someone who lived near or on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the German city of Lübeck, where a merchant named Hans Bohlke is mentioned in a document dated 1409. This suggests that the name had already been established by that time.

The surname Bohlke is also linked to various place names in Germany, such as Bohlen, Bollen, and Böllen, which are all derived from the same root word as the surname. These place names can be traced back to the 13th century or earlier, indicating the antiquity of the name's origins.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Bohlke. One of the earliest was Johann Bohlke, a German composer and organist who lived from 1535 to 1598. He is known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the Reformation.

In the 18th century, Friedrich Bohlke (1717-1788) was a prominent German architect and urban planner. He is best known for his work on the reconstruction of the city of Potsdam after it was heavily damaged during the Seven Years' War.

Another significant figure was Karl Bohlke (1828-1899), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) in the late 19th century.

Moving into the 20th century, Hans-Dietrich Bohlke (1908-1984) was a German naval officer who served in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He held the rank of Kapitän zur See (Captain at Sea) and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his service.

Finally, Gerhard Bohlke (1917-2002) was a German-born American ichthyologist and curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He made significant contributions to the study of freshwater fish, particularly in South America.

While the surname Bohlke may not be among the most common in the world today, its rich history and origins can be traced back several centuries, spanning various fields and accomplishments by those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bohlke

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

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

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

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