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

Rinke, 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 Rinke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rinke in America

Rinke is the 24718th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rinke surname appeared 1,009 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 Rinke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rinke 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 Rinke

The surname "RINKE" is believed to have originated in Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. It likely dates back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

One theory suggests that the name "RINKE" is derived from the Old German word "rinc," meaning a brave or valiant man. It may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who displayed qualities of courage and strength.

Another possibility is that "RINKE" is a toponymic surname, referring to a place of origin. It could be related to the town of Rinke or Rincke, located in the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "RINKE" can be found in various historical documents from the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1492, a certain Hans Rinke was mentioned in the records of the city of Hildesheim, Lower Saxony.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in the parish registers of the town of Warburg, located in the region of Westphalia. One notable entry from 1573 refers to a family named Rinke residing in the village of Willebadessen, near Warburg.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who carried the surname "RINKE." One example is Johann Rinke, a German theologian and author who lived from 1642 to 1699. He served as a pastor in the town of Quedlinburg and published several religious works.

Another prominent figure was Friedrich Rinke, a German painter and engraver born in 1787 in the city of Kassel. He is known for his landscape paintings and engravings depicting scenes from the regions of Hesse and Westphalia.

In the 19th century, Hermann Rinke (1813-1888) was a German theologian and writer who served as a pastor in the town of Melle, near Osnabrück. He authored several books on religious topics and was actively involved in educational initiatives.

Moving to the 20th century, Hans Rinke (1903-1990) was a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1949 to 1965.

Lastly, Gerd Rinke (born 1940) is a contemporary German academic and author who has written extensively on topics related to economics and business management. He held various teaching positions at universities in Germany and abroad.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rinke

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

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

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

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