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

Ninke, 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 Ninke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ninke in America

Ninke is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ninke surname appeared 173 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 Ninke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ninke 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 Ninke

The surname NINKE originated in Germany during the medieval period, likely between the 12th and 15th centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ninke," which referred to a person who was small or diminutive in stature. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone of small height.

The earliest recorded instances of the NINKE surname can be traced back to various regions of modern-day Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. While the name does not appear in the renowned Domesday Book, which recorded landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, it has been found in several German regional records and chronicles from the late medieval period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the NINKE surname was Hans Ninke, a merchant from Nuremberg who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable individual was Johann Ninke, a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg, born in 1540 and died in 1608.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the NINKE family spread across different parts of Germany, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Nincke, Ninck, and Ninckhe. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.

In the 18th century, the NINKE surname can be found in several historical records related to the German states, including birth, marriage, and death registers. One notable bearer from this period was Friedrich Ninke, a prominent jurist and legal scholar from Saxony, who lived from 1723 to 1795.

As the 19th century dawned, the NINKE surname continued to be prevalent in various German regions, with some bearers migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. Among the notable figures from this era was Karl Ninke, a German botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of flora in South America, born in 1823 and died in 1896.

Throughout its history, the NINKE surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, merchants, artisans, and professionals. While the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has endured over centuries and continues to be a part of the rich tapestry of German surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ninke

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

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

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

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