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

Menke, 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 Menke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Menke in America

Menke is the 7399th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Menke surname appeared 4,498 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Menke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Menke 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 Menke

The surname Menke has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is a variant of the German name Menk, which is derived from the Middle High German word "menke," meaning a small or insignificant person. This name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive term for someone of diminutive stature.

The name Menke is believed to have originated in the region of Lower Saxony in northern Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Minden, located along the Weser River. In the 13th century, a man named Hinricus Menke was mentioned in a document from the city of Minden, suggesting that the name was already in use in this area during that time.

As the name spread, various spellings emerged, including Menken, Menkhaus, and Menkemeyer. These variations often incorporated elements of the person's place of origin or other descriptive elements. For instance, the suffix "haus" in Menkhaus likely indicated that the family lived in a particular house or location.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Menke was Johann Menke, a German poet and playwright born in 1592 in the town of Oldenburg. His works, which included comedies and satires, were popular during the early 17th century.

Another individual of note was Heinrich Menke, a German botanist who lived from 1766 to 1832. He was known for his contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and his work in documenting the flora of various regions of Germany.

In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Menke was Theodor Menke, a German philologist and historian born in 1819. He was a respected scholar of ancient Greek and Latin literature and published several works on classical subjects.

The Menke surname also found its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the Netherlands, for instance, there was a prominent Dutch historian and politician named Gerrit Menke, who lived from 1848 to 1923. He served as a member of the Dutch parliament and wrote several books on Dutch history and politics.

As the name spread across borders, it sometimes underwent further modifications. For example, in England, the name was sometimes anglicized to Menken, as was the case with Adah Isaacs Menken, an American actress and poet who lived from 1835 to 1868 and was known for her controversial performances and writings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Menke

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

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

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

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