2000
#9,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,055
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Koepke
Derived from the German word "köpke," meaning a small hill or mound, likely referring to a person's place of origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,437 Americans carry the last name Koepke. That puts it at #10,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,725 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koepke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,725
Census rank
#10,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,997 bearers of the surname Koepke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koepke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koepke
The surname Koepke has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "kop," meaning "head" or "knoll," and the diminutive suffix "-ke." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on a small hill or elevated land.
The earliest recorded instances of the Koepke surname can be traced back to the regions of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg in northern Germany. It is likely that the name was first used as a descriptive term to distinguish individuals based on their place of residence or geographical features near their homes.
One of the earliest known references to the Koepke name can be found in the parish records of the town of Lübeck, located in present-day Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. In the year 1592, a certain Johann Koepke was mentioned as a resident of the town.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Koepke surname appeared in various church and civil records across northern Germany, with variations in spelling such as Köpke, Köpcke, and Koepke. This period saw the gradual spread of the name to other regions of Germany, as well as the emergence of notable individuals bearing the surname.
One such individual was Johann Christian Koepke (1670-1748), a Lutheran theologian and author from Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He published several works on theology and religious topics during his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Carl Friedrich Koepke (1784-1854), a German writer and poet from Saxony. He is best known for his contributions to the Romantic literary movement in Germany and his works on folklore and mythology.
In the 19th century, the Koepke surname crossed borders as German immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and the Americas. One prominent example is Carl Koepke (1825-1900), a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Another individual of note is Gustav Koepke (1860-1939), a German philologist and academic who specialized in the study of Romance languages and literature. He taught at various universities in Germany and authored several scholarly works in his field.
As the Koepke surname spread globally, it continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and historical narratives associated with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koepke
Among Census respondents with the surname Koepke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Koepke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Koepke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,757
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 96
- Two or more races2.5% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koepke
Koepke appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,106
+51 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 605 places
2020
#10,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,997
-109 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,768 | 3,055 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,373 | 3,106 | 1.05 | +51 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 605 places |
| 2020 | #10,231 | 2,997 | 1.00 | -109 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 142 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Koepke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,373 | #10,231 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,106 | 2,997 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 1.00 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koepke bearers went from 3,106 to 2,997 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,373 to #10,231.
FAQ
Koepke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koepke?
Name Census estimates that about 3,437 living Americans carry the surname Koepke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,725 residents.
How common is Koepke?
Koepke ranks #10,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,997 people with the surname Koepke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,437), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Koepke.
Has Koepke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koepke went from 3,106 recorded bearers to 2,997. That is a decrease of 109 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,373 to #10,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Koepke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koepke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Koepke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,757 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koepke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Koepke (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Koepke mean?
Derived from the German word "köpke," meaning a small hill or mound, likely referring to a person's place of origin. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Koepke (1.00 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Koepke?
Find out how many people are called Koepke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.