2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dubke
A surname of German origin meaning "small" or "dwarf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Dubke. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dubke 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Dubke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubke, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dubke
The surname Dubke is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Dube," which means a dove or pigeon. The name likely referred to someone who kept or worked with these birds in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dubke can be found in the town of Lübeck in northern Germany, where a family with this surname is mentioned in local records from the 14th century. It is possible that the name also has roots in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries where German was spoken, such as Austria and Switzerland.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Johannes Dubke who was a respected physician and scholar in the town of Mühlhausen in Thuringia, Germany. He published several works on medicine and natural philosophy during his lifetime, which spanned from around 1520 to 1590.
Another notable bearer of the Dubke surname was Hans Dubke, a German artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Some of his intricate engravings and woodcuts can still be found in museums and private collections today.
In the 18th century, a man named Friedrich Dubke was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Hamburg. He was also involved in local politics and served on the city council for several years.
During the 19th century, the Dubke name appears to have spread more widely throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, as well as to other parts of the world through emigration. One example is Johann Dubke, who was born in Prussia in 1818 and later emigrated to the United States, settling in Wisconsin.
While the Dubke surname is not among the most common in Germany or other countries, it has a rich history that dates back several centuries. The name's origins as a descriptive term related to doves or pigeons provide an interesting glimpse into the lives and occupations of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dubke
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubke, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dubke 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 Dubke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dubke
Dubke 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,325 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,325 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Dubke 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dubke bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Dubke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dubke?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Dubke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Dubke?
Dubke ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Dubke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Dubke.
Has Dubke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dubke went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Dubke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dubke, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Dubke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dubke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Dubke (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 Dubke mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "small" or "dwarf." 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 Dubke (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 common is the surname Dubke?
You can see how common the surname Dubke is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.