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

Patke, 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 Patke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Patke in America

Patke is the 88685th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Patke surname appeared 209 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 Patke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Patke 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 Patke

The surname Patke is believed to have originated in the region of Northern Germany. It is thought to be derived from the Low German word "patt," which means a path or a trail. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a well-trodden path or trail.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Patke can be found in the records of the town of Lüneburg, located in Lower Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 16th century. In these records, the name is spelled as "Patke" and is associated with various individuals and families residing in the area.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Patke surname began to spread beyond the borders of Northern Germany. This was likely due to migration and the movement of people during this period. Records from this time show the name appearing in regions such as Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein, as well as in neighboring countries like Denmark and the Netherlands.

One notable individual bearing the Patke surname was Johann Patke, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1618 to 1677. He was born in the town of Lüneburg and later became a professor of philosophy and theology at the University of Rostock.

Another significant figure was Friedrich Patke, a German poet and writer who was born in Lübeck in 1833 and died in 1900. He is best known for his poetry collections and literary works that explored themes of nature and the human condition.

In the 19th century, the Patke surname also found its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, there are records of individuals with this surname residing in the United Kingdom, particularly in areas with strong German immigrant communities.

One such person was William Patke, a British businessman who was born in Manchester in 1845 and made his fortune in the textile industry. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed to the establishment of several educational institutions in the city.

As people with the Patke surname migrated to different parts of the world, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Patke, Patken, and Patkee. However, the original German spelling of "Patke" remains the most common form of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Patke

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

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

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

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