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

Gericke, 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 Gericke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gericke in America

Gericke is the 38439th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gericke surname appeared 576 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 Gericke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gericke 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 Gericke

The surname Gericke originated from Germany, where it has been recorded since the 14th century. It is a German topographic name derived from the Middle Low German word "gerik," meaning a piece of land or a property. This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived on a particular piece of land or property.

Gericke is believed to have emerged in the northern German regions of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Early records show variations in the spelling, such as Gericke, Gerick, Gericken, and Gericken. These variations were common before the standardization of spelling in the modern era.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Gericke, a merchant who lived in the city of Lübeck in the late 14th century. His name appears in several historical documents from that time period.

In the 16th century, the name Gericke can be found in the records of the city of Hamburg. A notable individual from this period was Hans Gericke, a prominent merchant and member of the city council, who lived from 1520 to 1585.

The name Gericke also has a connection to the town of Gartow in Lower Saxony. In the 17th century, a family by the name of Gericke owned a large estate in the town, and the family name is closely associated with the local history and landmarks.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Gericke was Samuel Gericke, a German theologian and missionary who lived from 1638 to 1720. He was a pioneer of the Protestant Christian mission in India and played a significant role in establishing the first Protestant church in the country.

Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Gottfried Gericke, a German composer and organist who lived from 1637 to 1718. He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and is considered one of the most important German composers of the Baroque era.

In the 19th century, Gericke was a well-known name in the field of medicine. Carl Gericke (1819-1857) was a German physician and anatomist who made important contributions to the study of human anatomy and physiology.

The surname Gericke has also been associated with military figures. Friedrich Wilhelm Gericke (1809-1893) was a Prussian general who served in the Franco-Prussian War and was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite order for his military achievements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gericke

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

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

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

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