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

Geske, 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 Geske surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Geske in America

Geske is the 20971st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Geske surname appeared 1,255 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 Geske.

We can also compare 2010 data for Geske 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 Geske

The surname Geske originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "gesk," which means "talkative" or "chatty." This word likely evolved from the Germanic root "gesc," meaning "to chatter."

One of the earliest known references to the Geske name can be found in the Parish records of Westphalia, Germany, from the year 1578. These records mention a man named Hans Geske, who was a farmer in the village of Bochum. It is possible that the name may have originated as a nickname for someone who was particularly verbose or talkative.

In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing Geskes living in various regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. One notable individual from this time was Johann Geske, a Lutheran theologian born in Erfurt in 1648, who wrote several influential religious texts.

As the Geske family grew and spread throughout Germany, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Geske, Geskee, and Geskhe. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or local pronunciation differences.

In the 19th century, the Geske name made its way to the United States and other parts of the world through immigration. One of the earliest recorded Geskes in America was Carl Geske, who arrived in New York City from Prussia in 1852. He later settled in Wisconsin and became a farmer.

Another notable Geske was Wilhelm Geske, a German-American painter born in 1856 in Düsseldorf, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1883 and is known for his landscape paintings depicting the American West.

In more recent history, the Geske name has been carried by individuals such as Richard Geske, an American businessman and philanthropist born in 1920, who co-founded the Geske & Sons construction company in Wisconsin.

Overall, the surname Geske has a rich history rooted in Germany, with its origins likely stemming from an Old German word describing someone who was talkative or chatty. While the name has spread to various parts of the world, it remains closely tied to its Germanic roots and the cultural heritage of the regions where it first emerged.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Geske

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

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

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

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