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

Iske, 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 Iske surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Iske in America

Iske is the 66371st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Iske surname appeared 298 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 Iske.

We can also compare 2010 data for Iske 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 Iske

The surname "ISKE" is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "īsc," meaning "ice" or "frozen," which suggests that the name may have been originally a descriptive nickname for someone who lived in a particularly cold or icy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a person named "Iske" is mentioned in a document dated to the early 13th century. The name also appears in various other medieval records and manuscripts from the region, often with slight variations in spelling, such as "Isken" or "Iscke."

In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Johannes Iske was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of Leipzig. He played a significant role in the city's trade and economic development during that time. Around the same period, a family named Iske owned a large estate in the village of Taucha, near Leipzig, which was later known as the "Iskehof" or "Iske Estate."

As the surname spread across Germany and beyond, it underwent various transformations and adaptations. In some regions, it was anglicized to "Iske" or "Iskey," while in others, it took on forms like "Isk" or "Isken." Notably, a branch of the Iske family settled in the Netherlands in the 16th century, where the name was recorded as "Ijsken" or "Ijssken."

Several notable individuals throughout history have borne the surname "ISKE," including:

1. Friedrich Iske (1820-1892), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy.
2. Hans-Joachim Iske (1924-2003), a German politician and member of the Bundestag (German parliament) from 1965 to 1990.
3. Margot Iske (1926-2004), a German writer and poet known for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
4. Wilhelm Iske (1858-1912), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and Dresden.
5. Johann Iske (1677-1748), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar.

While the surname "ISKE" has its roots in medieval Germany, it has since spread and evolved across various regions and cultures, with families bearing this name leaving their mark on various fields, from philosophy and literature to architecture and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Iske

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

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

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

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