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

Papke, 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 Papke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Papke in America

Papke is the 18078th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Papke surname appeared 1,542 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Papke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Papke 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 Papke

The surname "PAPKE" originates from Germany and is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Pape" or "Papen," which means "priest" or "clergyman." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who worked in the church or had close ties to the clergy.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various German historical documents and records from the late medieval period. One notable reference is in the Würzburg Diocesan Records from the year 1385, which mentions a "Hans Papke" as a resident of the city.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name started to spread across various regions of Germany, with variations in spelling such as "Papke," "Pappe," and "Pappke." One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Papke, a merchant born in Lübeck in 1542.

In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Albert Papke (1826-1903), a German philosopher and educator who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy. Another notable figure was Karl Papke (1873-1939), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin.

Other historical figures with the surname "PAPKE" include:

1. Friedrich Papke (1857-1924), a German politician and member of the Reichstag.
2. Gustav Papke (1894-1978), a German painter known for his landscape and still life works.
3. Heinz Papke (1905-1981), a German athlete who competed in the 1928 and 1936 Summer Olympics.
4. Gerhard Papke (1923-2011), a German writer and novelist who authored several books on World War II.
5. Manfred Papke (born 1939), a German chess player and International Master.

While the name "PAPKE" has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the German regions and the historical references associated with the name's ecclesiastical and professional connotations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Papke

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

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

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

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