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

Soike, 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 Soike surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Soike in America

Soike is the 149328th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Soike surname appeared 101 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Soike.

The history of the last name Soike

The surname Soike is believed to have Germanic origins, dating back to the regions of Eastern Prussia and Pomerania during the late medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from a place name or geographical feature, common in Germanic nomenclature. It may be linked to the old High German word "sûh", meaning "swine" or "boar," which could imply a historical connection to swine herding or a locality known for its wild boar population.

One of the earliest references to the name Soike can be found in 14th-century Prussian records, where variants such as Soyke and Seuke were noted. These records include mentions in land transactions and tax registries from towns like Königsberg (modern-day Kaliningrad) and Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland), which were major hubs of commerce and governance in the late medieval Hanseatic League.

The first recorded individual with the surname Soike appears to be Johan Soike, listed in a 1372 tax register from Königsberg. Johan was noted as a merchant, suggesting a family involvement in trade or business. Another mention comes from 1421, when Margarethe Soyke was cited in a court document regarding a land dispute in Pomerania. These early instances showcase the spread of the surname in both urban and rural settings within the region.

In the 16th century, the surname appears in church records from Brandenburg, reflecting the movement of families within German-speaking territories. Heinrich Soike, born in 1594, is recorded as becoming a notable figure in his town's guild, illustrating the continued presence and moderate prominence of the name. His lineage can be traced through various local archives, highlighting intermarriages with other prominent families in the area.

By the 18th century, the surname Soike had also made its way into Lutheran parish records in Estonia, then part of the Swedish Empire. One noteworthy individual from this period is Karl Friedrich Soike, born in 1762, a respected schoolmaster in Tartu, demonstrating the educational achievement associated with the name.

Throughout history, the surname Soike has been borne by individuals involved in various professions, from merchants and landowners to educators. The distribution of the name across Prussia, Pomerania, Brandenburg, and beyond indicates a family lineage that adapted and integrated into different regions and societal roles over several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Soike

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Soike 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.

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

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

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