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

Denk, 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 Denk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Denk in America

Denk is the 18448th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Denk surname appeared 1,500 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 Denk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Denk 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 Denk

The surname "DENK" is believed to have originated in Germany and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle Dutch word "denk," meaning "thought" or "thinking." This name likely referred to someone who was known for their contemplative or thoughtful nature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 14th century Dutch manuscript "Denkenschrank," which mentions a person named "Johan Denk." This suggests that the name was already in use in the Low Countries by that time.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the German states, such as the "Nuremberg Chronicles" from 1493, which references a "Hans Denk" from the city of Nuremberg. This indicates the name's spread beyond the Netherlands and into German-speaking regions.

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the name continued to be found in various German and Dutch records, often associated with scholars, philosophers, and thinkers. One notable example is Johann Denk (1495-1527), a German Anabaptist leader and religious reformer who was active during the Protestant Reformation.

In the 18th century, the name "DENK" began to appear more frequently in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and population movements. For instance, there are records of a "Jozef Denk" from the Czech lands in the 1750s.

Other notable individuals with the surname "DENK" include Karl Denk (1851-1909), an Austrian botanist and naturalist; Ernst Denk (1876-1947), a German politician and member of the Reichstag; and Erhard Denk (1874-1960), a German-American artist and illustrator known for his work in children's books.

While the surname "DENK" is not as common as some others, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its roots in the Germanic and Dutch languages of medieval Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Denk

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

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

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

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