2000
#6,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,463
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.65
Rare Last name
Menke
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "menke," meaning "monk" or "friar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,010 Americans carry the last name Menke. That puts it at #7,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,414 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menke 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
5.0K
1 in 68,414
Census rank
#7,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,369 bearers of the surname Menke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menke
Among Census respondents with the surname Menke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Menke 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 Menke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 4,025
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 149
- Two or more races3.0% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 48
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menke
Menke 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
#7,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,498
+35 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 468 places
2020
#7,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,369
-129 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,931 | 4,463 | 1.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,399 | 4,498 | 1.52 | +35 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 468 places |
| 2020 | #7,355 | 4,369 | 1.46 | -129 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 44 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 Menke 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 | #7,399 | #7,355 | 0.6% |
| Count | 4,498 | 4,369 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.46 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menke bearers went from 4,498 to 4,369 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,399 to #7,355.
FAQ
Menke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menke?
Name Census estimates that about 5,010 living Americans carry the surname Menke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,414 residents.
How common is Menke?
Menke ranks #7,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 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 4,369 people with the surname Menke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 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 Menke.
Has Menke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menke went from 4,498 recorded bearers to 4,369. That is a decrease of 129 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,399 to #7,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Menke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Menke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (4,025 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Menke (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 Menke mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "menke," meaning "monk" or "friar." 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 Menke (1.46 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 surname Menke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.