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

Noffke, 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 Noffke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Noffke in America

Noffke is the 38484th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Noffke surname appeared 575 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 Noffke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Noffke 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 Noffke

The surname Noffke has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "nob," which referred to a protruding hill or promontory. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive term for someone who lived near or on a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Noffke can be found in the town records of Rostock, in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where a certain Claus Noffke was mentioned in 1452. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as the church registers of nearby Güstrow in the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Noffke family had established a presence in the town of Wittenburg, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Records show that a Johann Noffke was a respected citizen and landowner in the area during this time. Another notable figure was Christian Noffke, a Lutheran theologian and rector of the University of Rostock, who lived from 1609 to 1667.

As the name spread across different regions of Germany, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some of these include Nofke, Noffken, and Noffchen, which can be found in historical records from various parts of northern and central Germany.

One prominent individual bearing the Noffke name was Ernst Noffke, a German artist and painter who lived from 1857 to 1929. He was known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in the Mecklenburg region. Another notable figure was Wilhelm Noffke, a German military officer who served in World War I and later became a general in the Wehrmacht during World War II.

While the Noffke surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the Low German word "nob," reflecting the geographic and topographic features that may have influenced the naming of the earliest bearers of this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Noffke

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

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

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

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