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

Skibbe, 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 Skibbe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Skibbe in America

Skibbe is the 56588th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Skibbe surname appeared 361 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 Skibbe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Skibbe 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 Skibbe

The surname "SKIBBE" is believed to have originated from the Low German region of northern Germany, particularly in the areas around Bremen and Hamburg. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

One possible origin of the name is from the Low German word "skibbe," which referred to a small piece or fragment of something, such as a splinter or chip of wood. This could suggest that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for a woodworker or someone involved in the timber trade.

Another theory traces the name to the Low German word "schibbe," meaning a type of flat-bottomed boat or barge commonly used for transporting goods along rivers and canals in the region. In this case, the surname may have been adopted by those involved in the shipping or maritime industry.

The earliest known record of the name "SKIBBE" appears in the town archives of Stade, near Bremen, dated 1426. Here, a certain "Hans Skibbe" is mentioned as a resident of the town. Other early references include a "Claus Skibbe" recorded in the city of Lübeck in 1498, and a "Gerd Skibbe" mentioned in the records of Rostock in 1521.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears to have spread to other parts of northern Germany, as well as to neighboring regions such as the Netherlands and Denmark. Notable bearers of the name include:

1. Johann Skibbe (c. 1530-1598), a German merchant and alderman in the city of Hamburg.
2. Dirk Skibbe (1597-1670), a Dutch sea captain and explorer who sailed for the Dutch East India Company.
3. Anna Skibbe (1628-1701), a German midwife and herbalist renowned for her knowledge of traditional remedies in the town of Lüneburg.
4. Jens Skibbe (1789-1852), a Danish shipbuilder and naval architect from the island of Funen.
5. Wilhelm Skibbe (1825-1903), a German-born American farmer and landowner who settled in Wisconsin in the mid-19th century.

As the name spread across northern Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Schibbe," "Skibbé," and "Schkibbe," reflecting regional linguistic differences and dialects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Skibbe

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

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

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

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