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

Henkes, 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 Henkes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Henkes in America

Henkes is the 44270th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Henkes surname appeared 486 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 Henkes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Henkes 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 Henkes

The surname Henkes originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "henke," which means "handle" or "hinge." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a maker of handles or hinges.

One of the earliest known references to the name Henkes can be found in the records of the town of Köln (Cologne) in the year 1275, where a certain Johannes Henkes is mentioned as a resident. Another early record dates back to 1312 in the town of Aachen, where a man named Heinrich Henkes is listed as a member of the local guild of metalworkers.

During the Middle Ages, the Henkes surname appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Westphalia and the Rhineland, which were centers of metalworking and craftsmanship. The name is also found in historical documents from the cities of Münster, Dortmund, and Düsseldorf, among others.

One notable individual with the surname Henkes was Johann Henkes (1492-1566), a German Renaissance painter and engraver from the city of Nuremberg. His woodcuts and engravings were highly regarded during his lifetime, and some of his works can be found in museums and collections across Europe.

Another prominent figure was Gerhard Henkes (1624-1681), a German Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Bishop of Hildesheim from 1667 until his death. He was known for his efforts to promote education and reform within the church during the post-Reformation era.

In the 19th century, Friedrich Henkes (1811-1885) was a prominent German jurist and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of civil law. He served as a professor at the University of Berlin and published numerous works on legal theory and practice.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Henkes name in the United States can be traced back to Johann Henkes, who immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany in the mid-18th century. His descendants later settled in various parts of the country, including Ohio and Illinois.

Another notable American with the surname Henkes was August Henkes (1813-1891), a German-born architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Louis, Missouri, including the Old Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Henkes

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

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

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

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