2000
#10,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,909
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Dahlke
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "small valley" or "ravine" in Low German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,375 Americans carry the last name Dahlke. That puts it at #10,423 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,557 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dahlke 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
3.4K
1 in 101,557
Census rank
#10,423
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,943 bearers of the surname Dahlke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10423rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dahlke
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dahlke 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 Dahlke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,707
- Two or more races3.5% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dahlke
Dahlke 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
#10,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,000
+91 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 487 places
2020
#10,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,943
-57 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,176 | 2,909 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,663 | 3,000 | 1.02 | +91 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 487 places |
| 2020 | #10,423 | 2,943 | 0.98 | -57 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 240 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 Dahlke 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 | #10,663 | #10,423 | 2.3% |
| Count | 3,000 | 2,943 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.98 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dahlke bearers went from 3,000 to 2,943 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 240 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,663 to #10,423.
FAQ
Dahlke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dahlke?
Name Census estimates that about 3,375 living Americans carry the surname Dahlke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,557 residents.
How common is Dahlke?
Dahlke ranks #10,423 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,943 people with the surname Dahlke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,375), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Dahlke.
Has Dahlke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dahlke went from 3,000 recorded bearers to 2,943. That is a decrease of 57 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,663 to #10,423.
What does the Census say about the background of Dahlke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Dahlke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,707 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dahlke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Dahlke (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 Dahlke mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "small valley" or "ravine" in Low German. 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 Dahlke (0.98 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 Dahlke?
You can see how many people are called Dahlke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.