2000
#11,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Luebke
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "lovely hill" or "lovely creek."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,679 Americans carry the last name Luebke. That puts it at #12,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luebke 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
2.7K
1 in 127,941
Census rank
#12,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,336 bearers of the surname Luebke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luebke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luebke
The surname Luebke originates from Germany, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "lübke," which translates to "little beloved one" or "little dear one." This name was likely used as a term of endearment or a nickname before becoming a hereditary surname.
The earliest known recorded instances of the Luebke surname can be found in various German historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable mention is in the Hamburger Bürgerbücher (Citizen Books of Hamburg), where the name appears as "Lübke" in the year 1388.
During the 16th century, the Luebke name was prevalent in the regions of Mecklenburg and Pomerania, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. The town of Lübeck, located in northern Germany, may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in these areas.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Luebke name was Johann Luebke (1624-1701), a German pastor and theologian from Pomerania. He served as a minister in the town of Treptow and wrote several religious works that were published during his lifetime.
The 18th century saw the Luebke name spread across various parts of Germany, including Saxony and Prussia. One prominent individual from this period was Wilhelm Luebke (1786-1860), a German historian and author who authored several books on the history of art and architecture.
In the 19th century, the Luebke surname continued to be well-represented in German records. One noteworthy individual was Paul Luebke (1846-1921), a German artist and painter known for his landscape paintings and portraits.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Luebke surname also made its way to various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. Notable individuals with this surname include Gerhard Luebke (1901-1954), a German-American political scientist and author, and Ingrid Luebke (born 1952), a German-Canadian artist and sculptor.
Throughout its history, the Luebke surname has maintained its German roots and has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions, contributing to the cultural and historical richness of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luebke
Among Census respondents with the surname Luebke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Luebke 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 Luebke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,188
- Two or more races3.2% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luebke
Luebke 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
#12,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,391
-51 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,119 places
2020
#12,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,336
-55 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,753 | 2,442 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,872 | 2,391 | 0.81 | -51 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 1,119 places |
| 2020 | #12,618 | 2,336 | 0.78 | -55 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 254 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 Luebke 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 | #12,872 | #12,618 | 2.0% |
| Count | 2,391 | 2,336 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.78 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luebke bearers went from 2,391 to 2,336 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,872 to #12,618.
FAQ
Luebke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luebke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,679 living Americans carry the surname Luebke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,941 residents.
How common is Luebke?
Luebke ranks #12,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,336 people with the surname Luebke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,679), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Luebke.
Has Luebke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luebke went from 2,391 recorded bearers to 2,336. That is a decrease of 55 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,872 to #12,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Luebke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luebke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Luebke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luebke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Luebke (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 Luebke mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "lovely hill" or "lovely creek." 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 Luebke (0.78 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 share the surname Luebke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.