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

Terk, 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 Terk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Terk in America

Terk is the 100302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Terk surname appeared 180 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 Terk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Terk 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 Terk

The surname Terk has its origins in Germany, where it is believed to have first appeared in the 13th century. It is likely derived from the German word "tuerk," which means "Turk" or "Turkish person." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had come from Turkey or had some connection to the Turkish people.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Terk can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany, which dates back to the 13th century. In this codex, a person named "Conradus Terk" is mentioned in a document from the year 1272.

Another early reference to the name Terk can be found in the Annales Monasterii Sancti Albani, a chronicle of the St. Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire, England, which covers events from the 12th to the 15th centuries. In this chronicle, a person named "Johannes Terk" is mentioned in an entry from the year 1321.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Terk was Hans Terk, a German merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and is recorded as having traded in spices and other goods from the Middle East and Turkey.

Another notable figure with the surname Terk was Peter Terk, a German scholar and humanist who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Cologne in 1499 and is best known for his work in translating ancient Greek texts into Latin.

In the 17th century, there was a German military officer named Johann Terk, who served in the Thirty Years' War. He was born in 1612 in the town of Kronach and is recorded as having fought for the Protestant forces during the conflict.

A place name that may have contributed to the development of the surname Terk is the town of Türkheim, located in the German state of Bavaria. This town's name is derived from the German word "Türken," meaning "Turks," and it is possible that some individuals from this area may have adopted the surname Terk.

While the surname Terk is not particularly common, it has been carried by individuals throughout history who have made significant contributions in various fields, such as commerce, scholarship, and military service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Terk

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

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

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

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