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

Dahlke, 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 Dahlke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dahlke in America

Dahlke is the 10663rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dahlke surname appeared 3,000 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 Dahlke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dahlke 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 Dahlke

The surname Dahlke is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in what is now northern Germany. It is believed to have originated as a toponymic name, derived from a place name referring to a valley or dale. The prefix "Dahl" in German means "valley" or "dale," while the suffix "-ke" was a common diminutive form used to indicate a smaller or lesser version.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Dahlke can be found in historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries in the regions of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. These areas were home to numerous small settlements and villages located in valleys or dales, which likely gave rise to the name's initial usage.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Dahlke, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Rostock in the late 14th century. Historical records from the time mention him as a prominent figure involved in trade and land transactions.

In the 16th century, the Dahlke name appeared in the records of the city of Stralsund, where a family of that name held positions of influence in the local government and trade guilds. Notable members included Hans Dahlke, a respected merchant and alderman in the city during the mid-1500s.

As the name spread throughout northern Germany, it also found its way into the neighboring regions of Denmark and Sweden, where variations such as Dahlqvist and Dahlkvist emerged. One notable bearer was Carl Dahlqvist, a Swedish military officer and engineer who lived in the late 17th century and played a significant role in the fortification of several Swedish cities.

In the 19th century, the Dahlke name gained prominence in the field of literature and academia. Heinrich Dahlke, a German writer and philosopher born in 1818, was a prominent figure in the Romantic movement and authored several influential works on aesthetics and philosophy.

Another notable bearer of the name was Ernst Dahlke, a German classical scholar and educator born in 1870. He made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature and served as a professor at several prestigious universities in Germany.

While the Dahlke surname has its origins in northern Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries. However, its earliest recorded instances and most prominent historical figures can be traced back to the regions of Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and neighboring areas in northern Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dahlke

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

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

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

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