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

Gehrking, 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 Gehrking surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gehrking in America

Gehrking is the 142108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gehrking surname appeared 117 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 Gehrking.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gehrking 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 Gehrking

The surname Gehrking has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the medieval period in central Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "geren," which means "to desire" or "to strive for," combined with the suffix "-ing," denoting a person or family. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who was ambitious or industrious.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gehrking appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name is spelled in various forms, such as "Gherking," "Gherkingh," and "Gherkinc," reflecting the regional variations and spelling conventions of the time.

During the 14th century, the name Gehrking can be found in several municipal records from the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, located in present-day Bavaria, Germany. These records mention individuals with the name, such as Hans Gehrking, a prominent merchant who lived in Nuremberg around 1380.

In the 16th century, the name Gehrking appears in the records of the Protestant Reformation, with Johannes Gehrking (1500-1578) being a notable figure. He was a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Saxony and Brandenburg.

Another notable bearer of the name was Wilhelm Gehrking (1620-1694), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a privy councilor to the Elector of Saxony. His treatises on civil and criminal law were influential during his lifetime and beyond.

Moving into the 18th century, Johann Christoph Gehrking (1725-1792) was a German composer and organist known for his instrumental works and sacred music compositions. He held prestigious positions as the court organist in Dresden and later became the music director at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, a position previously held by the renowned Johann Sebastian Bach.

In the 19th century, the name Gehrking gained recognition through the work of Carl Friedrich Gehrking (1788-1857), a German botanist and horticulturist. He authored several influential works on the cultivation of fruit trees and ornamental plants, contributing significantly to the advancement of horticulture and gardening practices in Germany.

While the surname Gehrking is predominantly found in German-speaking regions, it has also been carried by individuals of German descent to other parts of the world through migration and diasporas over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gehrking

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

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

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

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