2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schipke
An occupational surname referring to a ship carpenter or shipbuilder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Schipke. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schipke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Schipke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schipke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schipke
The surname SCHIPKE is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, where it was likely derived from the German word "Schipp," which refers to a type of water vessel or boat.
The earliest known record of the SCHIPKE surname appears in a village registry from the town of Meissen in 1537, where a certain Hans SCHIPKE was listed as a resident. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to someone who worked as a boatman or in a related maritime trade.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the SCHIPKE name can be found in various church records and municipal documents from towns along the Elbe River, such as Dresden and Torgau. This supports the theory that the name was associated with water-based occupations or settlements near waterways.
One notable bearer of the SCHIPKE surname was Johann SCHIPKE (1670-1742), a merchant and alderman in the city of Leipzig. He was a prominent figure in the local trade guilds and is mentioned in several historical accounts of the city's economic life during that period.
Another individual of note was Christoph SCHIPKE (1795-1872), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from the town of Zittau. He authored several religious texts and was known for his scholarly work on biblical exegesis.
In the 19th century, the SCHIPKE name began to spread more widely across Germany, with families bearing the surname appearing in cities like Berlin and Hamburg. This coincided with the industrialization and urbanization of the country, as people sought new opportunities beyond their traditional rural communities.
One prominent SCHIPKE during this era was Gustav SCHIPKE (1838-1901), a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag and the Charlottenburg Palace. His works left a lasting imprint on the city's architectural landscape.
Another individual of note was Frieda SCHIPKE (1876-1959), a pioneering female chemist and educator. She made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and was one of the first women to hold a professorship at a German university.
While the SCHIPKE surname may have originated from a specific occupation or location, it has since become widely dispersed throughout Germany and beyond, carried by individuals from diverse walks of life and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schipke
Among Census respondents with the surname Schipke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Schipke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Schipke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schipke
Schipke appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,071 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,071 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,387 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Schipke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #142,108 | #146,495 | -3.1% |
| Count | 117 | 114 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schipke bearers went from 117 to 114 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,387 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #146,495.
FAQ
Schipke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schipke?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Schipke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Schipke?
Schipke ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Schipke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Schipke.
Has Schipke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schipke went from 117 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Schipke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schipke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Black (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Schipke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schipke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.5%), Black (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Schipke (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Schipke mean?
An occupational surname referring to a ship carpenter or shipbuilder. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Schipke (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Schipke?
Want to know how many people are called Schipke? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.