2000
#16,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,546
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Engelke
A Germanic surname likely derived from a diminutive form of the Germanic name Engel or Engels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,726 Americans carry the last name Engelke. That puts it at #18,224 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 198,583 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Engelke 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
1.7K
1 in 198,583
Census rank
#18,224
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,505 bearers of the surname Engelke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18224th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Engelke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Engelke
The surname Engelke originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "engel," meaning "angel," which was likely used as a nickname for someone with angelic qualities or an angelic appearance. The name was initially spelled as "Engel," but variations such as "Engelke" and "Engelken" emerged over time.
In the 14th century, the name Engelke appeared in various German records, including the Stadtbücher (city books) of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city in northern Germany. These records documented individuals with the surname living and working in the city.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Engelke, a merchant who lived in Lübeck in the late 15th century. He was involved in the city's thriving trade networks and his name appears in several commercial documents from that period.
During the 16th century, the name Engelke spread across different regions of Germany, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. In some areas, the name was associated with specific place names, such as Engelkenhagen, a village in Lower Saxony.
In the 17th century, the Engelke family produced notable individuals, including Johann Engelke, a Lutheran theologian and author who was born in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1599. He wrote several influential works on theology and philosophy during his lifetime.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Engelke, a German composer and organist who lived from 1752 to 1837. He was widely recognized for his contributions to church music and composed numerous choral works and organ pieces.
In the 19th century, the Engelke surname gained further recognition with the birth of Carl Engelke (1816-1876), a German architect and urban planner. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin and played a significant role in the city's urban development during the mid-19th century.
The surname Engelke also traveled beyond Germany's borders, with some bearers emigrating to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable example is Karl Engelke, a German-born artist who lived in the United States from 1867 to 1935. He was known for his landscape paintings and portraits, which captured the beauty of the American West.
Throughout its history, the surname Engelke has maintained a strong connection to its German roots, with many bearers tracing their ancestry back to various regions of the country. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its underlying meaning and significance as a name derived from the concept of an "angel" remains a cherished part of its heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Engelke
Among Census respondents with the surname Engelke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Engelke 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 Engelke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,389
- Two or more races3.7% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Engelke
Engelke 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
#17,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,578
+32 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 792 places
2020
#18,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,505
-73 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 472 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,960 | 1,546 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,752 | 1,578 | 0.53 | +32 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 792 places |
| 2020 | #18,224 | 1,505 | 0.50 | -73 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 472 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 Engelke 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 | #17,752 | #18,224 | -2.7% |
| Count | 1,578 | 1,505 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.50 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Engelke bearers went from 1,578 to 1,505 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 472 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,752 to #18,224.
FAQ
Engelke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Engelke?
Name Census estimates that about 1,726 living Americans carry the surname Engelke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 198,583 residents.
How common is Engelke?
Engelke ranks #18,224 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 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 1,505 people with the surname Engelke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,726), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 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 Engelke.
Has Engelke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Engelke went from 1,578 recorded bearers to 1,505. That is a decrease of 73 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,752 to #18,224.
What does the Census say about the background of Engelke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Engelke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Engelke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Engelke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Engelke (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 Engelke mean?
A Germanic surname likely derived from a diminutive form of the Germanic name Engel or Engels. 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 Engelke (0.50 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 Engelke?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Engelke? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.