2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lubecke
A surname derived from a Germanic place name related to the town of Lübeck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Lubecke. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lubecke 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Lubecke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lubecke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lubecke
The surname Lubecke is believed to have originated in the northern German region of Luebeck, a city situated on the Baltic Sea coast. The name's roots can be traced back to the 13th century when Luebeck was a thriving and influential trading hub within the Hanseatic League.
Lubecke is derived from the Old German word "lūbeke," which translates to "lovely brook" or "pleasant stream." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers likely resided near a picturesque waterway in or around the city of Luebeck.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lubecke name can be found in a 1297 manuscript from the Luebeck city archives, which references a merchant named Johann Lubecke. This document provides evidence that the surname was already established within the region by the late 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the city of Luebeck was renowned for its prosperous salt trade and flourishing arts and culture scene. It is possible that some early Lubecke family members were involved in these industries or held positions of prominence within the city's governance.
Notable individuals with the Lubecke surname include:
1. Heinrich Lubecke (1555-1612), a German composer and organist who served at the Marienkirche in Luebeck.
2. Christoph Lubecke (1670-1736), a German architect and master builder responsible for the design of several churches and public buildings in Luebeck and surrounding areas.
3. Johann Lubecke (1718-1793), a renowned clockmaker from Luebeck whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after throughout northern Europe.
4. Elisabeth Lubecke (1802-1874), a German philanthropist and social reformer who established several orphanages and schools in Luebeck and its neighboring towns.
5. Friedrich Lubecke (1888-1969), a German-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for advancements in automotive technology and manufacturing processes.
As the Lubecke name spread beyond its original geographic roots, variations in spelling emerged, including Luebecke, Lubeke, and Lubke. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the incorporation of local dialects or regional phonetic preferences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lubecke
Among Census respondents with the surname Lubecke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lubecke 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 Lubecke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lubecke
Lubecke 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,192 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 13,192 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 1,648 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 Lubecke 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 | #141,140 | #142,788 | -1.2% |
| Count | 118 | 119 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lubecke bearers went from 118 to 119 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 1,648 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #142,788.
FAQ
Lubecke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lubecke?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Lubecke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Lubecke?
Lubecke ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Lubecke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lubecke.
Has Lubecke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lubecke went from 118 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Lubecke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lubecke, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) 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 Lubecke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lubecke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (6.7%), 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 Lubecke (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 Lubecke mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic place name related to the town of Lübeck. 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 Lubecke (0.04 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 have the last name Lubecke?
You can see how common the surname Lubecke is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.