2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Epke
A Frisian surname derived from a pet form of personal names containing the element "epp" or "op".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Epke. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Epke 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Epke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Epke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Epke
The surname Epke is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period, around the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where it was initially spelled as "Epe" or "Eppe". The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "apu", meaning "water" or "stream", suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name lived near a body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Epke can be found in the Lehnbücher (fiefdom registers) of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg from the mid-15th century. These registers documented the names of vassal knights and landowners, indicating that the Epke family held a certain social standing during that time.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various church records and local chronicles across northern Germany, with variations in spelling such as "Epken", "Epcke", and "Epker". One notable mention is Johann Epke, a merchant from Lübeck who was involved in the Hanseatic League's trade activities during the early 1500s.
The 17th century saw the spread of the Epke name beyond its original regions, with instances recorded in areas like Mecklenburg and Brandenburg. In the town of Schwerin, a prominent family of Epkes owned a successful brewing business, as documented in the municipal records from the late 1600s.
By the 18th century, the name had gained further recognition, with several Epkes making their mark in various fields. Johann Friedrich Epke (1724-1803) was a renowned jurist and professor at the University of Göttingen, while Christian Epke (1751-1824) was a celebrated architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Hanover.
In the 19th century, the Epke name continued to be associated with notable individuals, such as Wilhelm Epke (1815-1892), a renowned historian and author who wrote extensively about the history of Lower Saxony. Another notable figure was Carl Epke (1879-1944), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded a successful machinery manufacturing company.
Throughout its history, the surname Epke has maintained its roots in northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, although it has also spread to other parts of the country and beyond through migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Epke
Among Census respondents with the surname Epke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Epke 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 Epke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 102
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Epke
Epke 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,721 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-12 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 10,721 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 12,361 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 Epke 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 | #135,593 | #147,954 | -9.1% |
| Count | 124 | 112 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Epke bearers went from 124 to 112 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 12,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #147,954.
FAQ
Epke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Epke?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Epke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Epke?
Epke ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Epke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Epke.
Has Epke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Epke went from 124 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Epke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Epke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Epke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Epke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (5.4%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Epke (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 Epke mean?
A Frisian surname derived from a pet form of personal names containing the element "epp" or "op". 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 Epke (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 have the last name Epke?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Epke is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.