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

Bunke, 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 Bunke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bunke in America

Bunke is the 38389th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bunke surname appeared 577 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 Bunke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bunke 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 Bunke

The surname Bunke has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Bunke," which referred to a type of coarse woolen cloth or a woven fabric. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to those involved in the production or trade of this particular textile.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where a document from the year 1567 mentions a certain "Hans Bunke." This provides evidence that the name was already well-established in central Germany during the late medieval period.

As time passed, the Bunke surname spread to other regions of Germany, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Buncke, Bünke, and Bunkert. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the preferences of specific families or scribes.

In the 17th century, records show a Johann Bunke (1621-1699) who was a noted Lutheran theologian and author from Wittenberg, a town known for its association with the Protestant Reformation and Martin Luther.

Another notable figure with the Bunke surname was Johann Friedrich Bunke (1765-1843), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Halle-Wittenberg.

Moving into the 19th century, the name appears in various German-speaking regions, including Friedrich Bunke (1857-1939), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.

Across the Atlantic, the name found its way to America, with Johann Friedrich Bunke (1792-1858), a German-born printer and publisher who emigrated to the United States in the 1820s and established a successful printing business in Philadelphia.

Another notable American with the Bunke surname was Henry Bunke (1870-1945), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Chicago, who was actively involved in the city's cultural and educational institutions.

While the surname Bunke is not among the most common in Germany or the wider German diaspora, it has nevertheless left its mark on various fields throughout history, from theology and law to architecture and publishing, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who have borne this name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bunke

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bunke, 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!