Radtke last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Radtke

A German occupational surname referring to a wheelwright or cartwright, derived from the Middle High German word "rat".

Radtke, 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 Radtke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Radtke in America

Radtke is the 5684th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Radtke surname appeared 6,099 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Radtke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Radtke 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 5684 5299 7.01%
Count 6,099 6,047 0.86%
Proportion per 100k 2.07 2.24 -7.89%

The history of the last name Radtke

The surname Radtke originated in Germany and is derived from the German words "rat" meaning "counsel" and "ke" which is a diminutive suffix. It likely referred to someone who provided advice or counsel in some capacity.

The name can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, including Prussia and Saxony. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a document from the town of Görlitz in 1385, which mentions a "Hans Radtke."

During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings such as Radeke, Radeke, and Radegke, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in scribal practices of the time. It was also sometimes associated with place names like Radkersburg in Austria.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this name was Matthias Radtke, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1492 to 1562. He played a role in the Protestant Reformation and served as a minister in several cities, including Frankfurt and Magdeburg.

Another historical figure with this surname was Johann Georg Radtke, a German composer and organist who lived from 1597 to 1662. He held positions at various churches in Germany and composed works for organ and choir.

In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Radtke (1717-1789) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities in Prussia.

In the 19th century, Karl Radtke (1805-1892) was a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting scenes from Berlin and other parts of Germany.

Another notable individual with this surname was Otto Radtke (1868-1938), a German engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early automobiles and engines.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Radtke who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, reflecting the rich and diverse heritage associated with this German name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Radtke

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

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 Radtke was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.34% 5,876
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.16% 10
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.57% 35
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.39% 24
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.13% 69
Hispanic Origin 1.39% 85

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 Radtke has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.34% 97.19% -0.88%
Black 0.16% 0.18% -11.76%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.57% 0.51% 11.11%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.39% 0.28% 32.84%
Two or More Races 1.13% 1.03% 9.26%
Hispanic 1.39% 0.81% 52.73%

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

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

Reference this page

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"Radtke last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/radtke-surname-popularity/.

"Radtke last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/radtke-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Radtke last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/radtke-surname-popularity/.

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