2000
#35,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Noffke
A surname derived from a German nickname meaning "little nut" or "nutlet".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 648 Americans carry the last name Noffke. That puts it at #41,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 528,942 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Noffke 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
648
1 in 528,942
Census rank
#41,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
565
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 565 bearers of the surname Noffke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Noffke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as the church registers of nearby Güstrow in the 16th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Noffke
Among Census respondents with the surname Noffke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Noffke 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 Noffke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 536
- Two or more races3.0% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Noffke
Noffke 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
#38,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 575
-18 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,687 places
2020
#41,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 565
-10 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 3,033 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,797 | 593 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,484 | 575 | 0.19 | -18 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 2,687 places |
| 2020 | #41,517 | 565 | 0.19 | -10 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,033 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 Noffke 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 | #38,484 | #41,517 | -7.9% |
| Count | 575 | 565 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Noffke bearers went from 575 to 565 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,033 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,484 to #41,517.
FAQ
Noffke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Noffke?
Name Census estimates that about 648 living Americans carry the surname Noffke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 528,942 residents.
How common is Noffke?
Noffke ranks #41,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 565 people with the surname Noffke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (648), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Noffke.
Has Noffke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Noffke went from 575 recorded bearers to 565. That is a decrease of 10 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,484 to #41,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Noffke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Noffke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Noffke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Noffke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Noffke (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 Noffke mean?
A surname derived from a German nickname meaning "little nut" or "nutlet". 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 Noffke (0.19 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 are called Noffke?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Noffke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.