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

Oehlke, 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 Oehlke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oehlke in America

Oehlke is the 59742nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oehlke surname appeared 338 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 Oehlke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oehlke 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 Oehlke

The surname OEHLKE has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "Öhl," which means "oil," and the suffix "-ke," a diminutive form indicating a small or endearing version of something. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals involved in the production or trade of oils, perhaps as a nickname or occupational descriptor.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the OEHLKE surname can be found in the church records of the town of Wittenberg, in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where a certain Hans OEHLKE was documented in 1587. It's possible that the name had already been in use for some time before this record, as surnames were not consistently recorded until the 16th and 17th centuries in many parts of Germany.

In the following centuries, the OEHLKE name continued to appear in various regions of Germany, with some notable individuals bearing the surname. For instance, Johann Friedrich OEHLKE (1724-1778) was a German theologian and author from Saxony, known for his works on Christian dogmatics and ethics.

Another notable figure was Karl Wilhelm OEHLKE (1789-1868), a Prussian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a general in the Prussian Army. He played a significant role in the reorganization of the Prussian military after the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon.

In the 19th century, the OEHLKE surname also found its way to the United States through German immigration. One such individual was Friedrich Wilhelm OEHLKE (1818-1897), a German-American inventor and entrepreneur who patented several improvements to printing presses and founded a successful printing equipment company in Philadelphia.

Another American bearer of the OEHLKE name was Joachim Heinrich OEHLKE (1853-1927), a German-born Lutheran minister who served as the president of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States from 1899 to 1911.

As the OEHLKE surname spread to different regions and countries over time, some variations in spelling emerged, such as OEHLCKE, ÖHLKE, and OELKE. However, the core meaning and Germanic origins of the name remained consistent, reflecting its historical ties to the German language and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oehlke

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

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

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

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