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

Enke, 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 Enke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Enke in America

Enke is the 32750th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Enke surname appeared 701 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Enke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Enke 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 Enke

The surname Enke is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the German word "enke," which means "narrow" or "confined." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a narrow or confined area, such as a valley or a small village.

The earliest recorded instances of the Enke surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various German regions, including Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. In some historical documents, the name appears with variations in spelling, such as Encke, Enk, or Enck.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Enke name was Johannes Enke, a merchant and landowner from Nuremberg, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Wilhelm Enke, a German astronomer born in 1785, who made significant contributions to the study of comets and asteroids.

In the 16th century, the Enke surname was also found in various towns and villages across Germany, often associated with specific place names. For example, the village of Enkenbach in Rhineland-Palatinate may have had a connection to the Enke surname, as the suffix "-bach" means "stream" in German.

As the Enke family spread across different regions, some individuals achieved notable status. One such person was Johann Enke, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived in the late 16th century and published several influential works on Roman law.

Another prominent bearer of the Enke name was Friedrich Enke, a German publisher and bookseller born in 1783. He founded the renowned publishing house F.A. Brockhaus in Leipzig, which became one of the most respected publishers of encyclopedias and reference works in Germany.

Over the centuries, the Enke surname has continued to be present across various German-speaking regions, with individuals from different walks of life bearing this name. While the exact origins and meaning of the name may have evolved, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage and history of Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Enke

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

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

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

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