2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Doppke
A German habitational surname derived from a place name originating from the Middle Low German "dopp" meaning pool or puddle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Doppke. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doppke 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Doppke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doppke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doppke
The surname Doppke is of German origin, emerging in the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas around the city of Hamburg. The name is thought to be derived from the Low German word "doppen," which means "to dip" or "to immerse," possibly indicating an occupation or connection to dyeing or textile-related activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Doppke name can be found in the church records of St. Michaelis in Hamburg, where a certain Hans Doppke was listed as a resident in 1587. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Doppke surname appeared in various historical documents, including land records and tax registers, primarily in the northern German states. One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Doppke, a merchant from Lübeck, who was mentioned in a trade agreement with the city of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) in 1642.
As the Doppke family spread across Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Doppke, Döpke, and Doepke. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal variations in record-keeping.
One of the earliest known Doppkes to migrate from Germany was Friedrich Doppke, who was born in 1763 in Pomerania (now part of Poland and Germany). He later settled in Pennsylvania, United States, in the late 18th century, establishing one of the first Doppke lineages in North America.
Other notable individuals with the Doppke surname include:
1. Karl Doppke (1824-1898), a German architect and urban planner known for his work in Berlin and other German cities.
2. Heinrich Doppke (1867-1941), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) in the early 20th century.
3. Gerhard Doppke (1895-1977), a German-American linguist and professor who taught at various universities in the United States, including the University of Chicago.
4. Elsa Doppke (1903-1985), a German-born artist and sculptor who gained recognition for her works in stone and bronze.
5. Peter Doppke (born 1942), a German businessman and entrepreneur who founded and led several successful technology companies in Germany and Europe.
While the Doppke surname may not be among the most common German names, it has a rich history dating back to the late 16th century, with a presence in various regions of Germany and later in other parts of the world through migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doppke
Among Census respondents with the surname Doppke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Doppke 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 Doppke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Doppke
Doppke appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-6 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 6,557 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 Doppke 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 | #142,108 | #148,665 | -4.6% |
| Count | 117 | 111 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Doppke bearers went from 117 to 111 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 6,557 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #148,665.
FAQ
Doppke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Doppke?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Doppke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Doppke?
Doppke ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Doppke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Doppke.
Has Doppke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Doppke went from 117 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Doppke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doppke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Doppke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Doppke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Doppke (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 Doppke mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place name originating from the Middle Low German "dopp" meaning pool or puddle. 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 Doppke (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 Doppke?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Doppke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.