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

Litke, 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 Litke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Litke in America

Litke is the 19053rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Litke surname appeared 1,429 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 Litke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Litke 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 Litke

The surname LITKE originated in Germany, likely in the northern regions during the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "lihthi" meaning light or bright. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone with fair hair or a bright complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hanseatic League records from the city of Lübeck in 1387, where a merchant named Hans Litke is mentioned. The Hanseatic League was a powerful economic alliance of trading cities in northern Germany and neighboring areas.

In the 15th century, the name is found in various records from the Duchy of Pomerania, which is now divided between modern-day Germany and Poland. A notable example is Claus Litke, a wealthy landowner mentioned in a document from 1468 regarding property disputes in the town of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland).

During the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of northern Europe, including Scandinavia. In Denmark, a man named Niels Litke was born in 1532 in Copenhagen and became a respected shipbuilder and navigator. He is credited with designing several innovative ships for the Danish navy.

In the 18th century, a Russian explorer and naval officer named Fyodor Litke (1797-1882) gained fame for his extensive explorations of the Arctic regions and the Pacific Ocean. He led several important scientific expeditions and made significant contributions to cartography and oceanography.

Another notable individual with the surname was Gustav Litke (1854-1918), a German architect and urban planner. He designed several prominent buildings in Berlin and played a key role in the city's urban development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Litke

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

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

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

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