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

Goetzke, 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 Goetzke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goetzke in America

Goetzke is the 49636th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goetzke surname appeared 423 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 Goetzke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goetzke 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 Goetzke

The surname GOETZKE is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century in the northern region of the country. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name "Gottschalk," which means "servant of God." This name was quite common during the Middle Ages and evolved into various surnames over time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GOETZKE can be found in the archives of the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Johann Goetzke was mentioned in a trade document dated 1478. Records also show that a family with this surname resided in the town of Lübeck during the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the GOETZKE name appears in the historical records of the Duchy of Prussia, which was then a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. A notable figure from this time was Friedrich Goetzke (1610-1681), a Protestant theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Königsberg.

As the GOETZKE family spread across different regions of Germany, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Goetzke, Götze, and Götzke. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices.

One of the earliest records of the name in its current spelling, GOETZKE, can be found in the town of Rostock, where a merchant named Hans Goetzke is mentioned in a trade register from 1712.

In the 19th century, several individuals with the GOETZKE surname made significant contributions in various fields. Among them was Karl Goetzke (1817-1893), a German architect and urban planner who designed numerous notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.

Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Goetzke (1834-1911), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Prussia and the German Empire. His works include "Das Zeitalter der Gegenreformation" (The Age of the Counter-Reformation) and "Historische Wandlungen" (Historical Transformations).

The name GOETZKE also gained recognition in the field of music, with composer and conductor Hermann Goetzke (1840-1916) making significant contributions to the German classical music scene. He served as the director of the Kassel State Theater and composed several operas and orchestral works.

In the 20th century, one notable figure was the German writer and journalist Erich Goetzke (1899-1964), who worked as a foreign correspondent and published several books on international affairs, including "Weltreise durch die Zukunft" (World Tour Through the Future).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goetzke

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

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

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

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