2000
#65,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Emke
A Germanic habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "at the water meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 305 Americans carry the last name Emke. That puts it at #77,676 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,123,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Emke 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
305
1 in 1,123,785
Census rank
#77,676
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
266
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 266 bearers of the surname Emke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77676th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Emke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Emke
The surname Emke has its origins in Germany, emerging in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "emke," which means "ant." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who exhibited qualities reminiscent of an ant's diligence and industriousness.
The earliest recorded instances of the Emke surname can be traced back to the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Hamburg and Bremen. It is likely that the name was first adopted by families residing in these regions before gradually spreading to other parts of the country.
One of the earliest documented references to the Emke name can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the late 13th century. This record mentions an individual named Hinrich Emke, who was a merchant and landowner in the city.
In the 15th century, the Emke surname appeared in the records of the city of Lübeck, which was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. The Emke family was involved in the city's thriving maritime trade and commerce.
One notable individual with the Emke surname was Hans Emke, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1548 to 1611. He is renowned for his intricate etchings and woodcuts depicting religious and historical scenes, many of which can be found in museums and collections across Europe.
In the 17th century, Johann Emke (1623-1688) gained recognition as a prominent theologian and philosopher. He served as a professor at the University of Rostock and authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another noteworthy figure was Christoph Emke (1766-1842), a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He rose through the ranks and was awarded numerous honors for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
As the Emke surname spread across Germany and into neighboring countries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Emcke, Emmke, and Emkee. Additionally, the name was sometimes associated with certain place names, such as Emkendorf, a small town in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Throughout history, the Emke surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, ranging from merchants and artisans to scholars and military leaders. While its origins can be traced back to the northern regions of Germany, the name has since become widespread and continues to hold significance as part of the diverse tapestry of German surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emke
Among Census respondents with the surname Emke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Emke 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 Emke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 246
- Two or more races3.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Emke
Emke 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
#75,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
-26 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 9,577 places
2020
#77,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 266
+9 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,607 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #65,492 | 283 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,069 | 257 | 0.09 | -26 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 9,577 places |
| 2020 | #77,676 | 266 | 0.09 | +9 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 2,607 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 Emke 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 | #75,069 | #77,676 | -3.5% |
| Count | 257 | 266 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Emke bearers went from 257 to 266 (+3.5% change). The surname moved down 2,607 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,069 to #77,676.
FAQ
Emke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Emke?
Name Census estimates that about 305 living Americans carry the surname Emke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,123,785 residents.
How common is Emke?
Emke ranks #77,676 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 266 people with the surname Emke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (305), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Emke.
Has Emke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Emke went from 257 recorded bearers to 266. That is an increase of 9 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #75,069 to #77,676.
What does the Census say about the background of Emke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Emke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Emke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (246 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Emke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Emke (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 Emke mean?
A Germanic habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "at the water meadow". 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 Emke (0.09 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 Americans have the surname Emke?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.