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

Hanke, 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 Hanke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hanke in America

Hanke is the 9054th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hanke surname appeared 3,609 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hanke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hanke 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 Hanke

The surname Hanke is of German origin, with its earliest known records dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the medieval German word "hanke," which referred to a hooked tool or implement used in farming or gardening. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to someone who worked with such tools or in a related agricultural profession.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Torgau, in the German state of Saxony, where a man named Peter Hanke is mentioned in a local registry from the year 1492. In the following centuries, the name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with families bearing the Hanke surname appearing in historical records from places like Silesia, Brandenburg, and Pomerania.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Hanke was Hans Hanke, a German goldsmith and engraver who was born in Nuremberg around 1520 and died in 1593. His intricate metalwork and engravings were highly regarded during his lifetime and can still be found in museums today.

Another significant individual with this surname was Johann Hanke, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1639 to 1706. He is best known for his work "Scientia Salutis," a comprehensive treatise on Christian doctrine and salvation.

In the 19th century, Karl Hanke (1803-1873) was a German philologist and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of the Slavic languages. He served as a professor at the University of Leipzig and authored several influential works on Slavic grammar and literature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hanke surname outside of Germany can be found in the town of Jedlina-Zdrój, in modern-day Poland, where a family by the name of Hanke is mentioned in local records from the late 16th century. This suggests that the name may have spread to neighboring regions through migration or trade.

Another notable figure with the Hanke surname was Gustav Hanke (1856-1918), a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design of several significant buildings and public spaces in Berlin during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the surname Hanke is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in various other countries, likely due to emigration and migration patterns over the centuries. However, the specific origins and early history of the name remain firmly rooted in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hanke

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

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

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

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