2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Genke
A surname possibly derived from a Germanic given name meaning "courageous" or "brave".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Genke. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Genke 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Genke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Genke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Genke
The surname GENKE is thought to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared during the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "genchi," which means "walking" or "stepping." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had a distinctive gait or stride.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GENKE can be found in the records of the town of Görlitz, located in the eastern part of modern-day Germany, near the border with Poland. In a document dated 1237, a man named Heinrich Genke is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
The name GENKE also appears in several historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, particularly in the areas around the cities of Leipzig and Dresden in the German state of Saxony. For example, a merchant named Hans Genke is listed in the Leipzig city records from 1412.
During the 16th century, the name GENKE began to spread more widely across Germany, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One of the most prominent was Johann Genke, a Lutheran theologian born in 1572 in the town of Halberstadt. He later became a professor of theology at the University of Helmstedt and published several works on religious doctrine.
Another historically significant figure with the surname GENKE was Wilhelm Genke, born in 1835 in the town of Zerbst. He was a German politician and served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) from 1871 to 1884, representing the National Liberal Party.
In the 19th century, the name GENKE also made its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia. One notable Dutch bearer of the name was Pieter Genke, a painter born in 1819 in Amsterdam. He was known for his landscape and genre paintings, which often depicted scenes of rural life in the Netherlands.
While the surname GENKE is not as common today as it once was in Germany, it continues to be found throughout the country and in other parts of the world where German immigrants have settled. However, its origins and historical significance can be traced back to the medieval period in the eastern regions of what is now modern-day Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Genke
Among Census respondents with the surname Genke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Genke 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 Genke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Genke
Genke 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,882 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,882 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Genke 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Genke bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Genke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Genke?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Genke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Genke?
Genke ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Genke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Genke.
Has Genke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Genke went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Genke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Genke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Genke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Genke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Hispanic (1.7%), Black (0.8%). 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 Genke (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 Genke mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Germanic given name meaning "courageous" or "brave". 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 Genke (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 surname Genke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.