2000
#7,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Gehrke
A German occupational surname referring to a fence maker or builder of fenced enclosures.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,501 Americans carry the last name Gehrke. That puts it at #8,083 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gehrke 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
4.5K
1 in 76,151
Census rank
#8,083
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,925 bearers of the surname Gehrke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8083rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gehrke
The surname Gehrke is of German origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The name is derived from the Low German word "gere" or "gehre," meaning "spear" or "javelin," which indicates that the name was likely an occupational surname for a spearmaker or warrior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gehrke can be found in the Liber Proscriptionum, a medieval legal document from the city of Lübeck, dating back to the late 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Hinricus Gherke," suggesting that the name was already in use during that time.
The name Gehrke is also found in various historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, including church registers and tax rolls. For instance, in the parish records of Stade, a town near Hamburg, there is an entry from 1587 mentioning a "Hans Gehrke."
Over the centuries, the name Gehrke has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Gerke, Geerke, and Gehrken. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Gehrke throughout history include:
1. Johann Gehrke (1839-1916), a German-American architect and builder who designed several prominent buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
2. Karl Gehrke (1886-1944), a German chemist and professor at the University of Leipzig, known for his contributions to analytical chemistry.
3. Walter Gehrke (1880-1945), a German naval officer who served as the commander of the German East Asia Cruiser Squadron during World War I.
4. Reinhard Gehrke (born 1947), a German classical philologist and academic, specializing in ancient Greek literature and philosophy.
5. Uwe Gehrke (born 1957), a former East German footballer who played as a defender for various clubs, including Dynamo Dresden.
While the surname Gehrke is not among the most common names in Germany, it has a long and rich history, spanning several centuries and encompassing individuals from various walks of life, from architects and scientists to military personnel and academics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gehrke
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gehrke 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 Gehrke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 3,654
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 115
- Two or more races2.6% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gehrke
Gehrke 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
#7,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,180
+45 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 486 places
2020
#8,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,925
-255 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,429 | 4,135 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,915 | 4,180 | 1.42 | +45 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 486 places |
| 2020 | #8,083 | 3,925 | 1.31 | -255 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 168 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 Gehrke 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 | #7,915 | #8,083 | -2.1% |
| Count | 4,180 | 3,925 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.31 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gehrke bearers went from 4,180 to 3,925 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,915 to #8,083.
FAQ
Gehrke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gehrke?
Name Census estimates that about 4,501 living Americans carry the surname Gehrke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,151 residents.
How common is Gehrke?
Gehrke ranks #8,083 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,925 people with the surname Gehrke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,501), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Gehrke.
Has Gehrke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gehrke went from 4,180 recorded bearers to 3,925. That is a decrease of 255 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,915 to #8,083.
What does the Census say about the background of Gehrke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gehrke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (3,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gehrke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gehrke (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 Gehrke mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a fence maker or builder of fenced enclosures. 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 Gehrke (1.31 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 share the surname Gehrke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.