2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bottke
A surname derived from a German word meaning "messenger" or "courier".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bottke. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bottke 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bottke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bottke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bottke
The surname BOTTKE is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, where it was initially spelled as "Bottke" or "Botke". The name is derived from the German word "Botte", which means a small barrel or cask, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the production or transportation of barrels.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BOTTKE can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the year 1278. The entry mentions a certain "Henricus Bottke" as a landowner in the village of Torgau.
During the 15th century, the name BOTTKE appeared in several historical records, including the Stadtbuch von Zwickau, a municipal register from the town of Zwickau in Saxony. In this document, a certain "Nicol Bottke" is listed as a citizen of the town in the year 1467.
In the 16th century, the name BOTTKE gained prominence with the birth of Johann BOTTKE (1512-1584), a German Protestant theologian and reformer. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the spread of the Protestant Reformation in Saxony.
Another notable figure bearing the surname BOTTKE was Friedrich BOTTKE (1820-1898), a German philosopher and educator. He was a professor at the University of Leipzig and made significant contributions to the field of educational theory and pedagogy.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Wilhelm BOTTKE (1854-1923), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. He served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) from 1898 to 1912, representing the city of Leipzig.
In the 20th century, the name BOTTKE gained international recognition with the birth of Wilfried BOTTKE (1921-2008), a German physicist and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was instrumental in the development of the Apollo space program.
Another prominent figure with the surname BOTTKE was Hans-Joachim BOTTKE (1936-2014), a German diplomat and ambassador. He served as the German ambassador to several countries, including the United States, from 1995 to 2001.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bottke
Among Census respondents with the surname Bottke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bottke 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 Bottke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bottke
Bottke 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+17 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,620 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-24 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,952 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 5,620 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 21,952 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 Bottke 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 | #127,494 | #149,446 | -17.2% |
| Count | 134 | 110 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bottke bearers went from 134 to 110 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 21,952 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bottke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bottke?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bottke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bottke?
Bottke ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Bottke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bottke.
Has Bottke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bottke went from 134 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 24 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bottke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bottke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Bottke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bottke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Bottke (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 Bottke mean?
A surname derived from a German word meaning "messenger" or "courier". 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 Bottke (0.04 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 Bottke?
You can see how many people have the surname Bottke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.