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

Verbeke, 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 Verbeke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Verbeke in America

Verbeke is the 36204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Verbeke surname appeared 619 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 Verbeke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Verbeke 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 Verbeke

The surname Verbeke originates from the Dutch-speaking regions of Belgium and the Netherlands, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Dutch words "ver" (far) and "beke" (stream), indicating that the family's ancestral home was located near a stream or brook at a considerable distance from a larger town or settlement.

One of the earliest known references to the name Verbeke can be found in a 1287 charter from the city of Ghent, Belgium, where a certain Wouter Verbeke is mentioned as a landowner. Another early record dates back to 1312, when a Gillis Verbeke is listed as a witness in a legal document from the town of Aalst, located in the Flemish province of East Flanders.

In the 15th century, the Verbeke name appears in various records from the city of Antwerp, suggesting that members of the family had established themselves in this important commercial center. A notable individual from this period was Jan Verbeke (c. 1420-1490), a successful merchant and alderman in Antwerp who played a significant role in the city's textile trade with England.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Dutch and Flemish regions experienced religious and political turmoil, many families with the surname Verbeke sought refuge in neighboring countries, including England and Germany. One such individual was Pieter Verbeke (c. 1580-1647), a Flemish Protestant who fled to England during the Eighty Years' War and settled in the city of Norwich, where he established a successful textile business.

Another notable figure from this period was Cornelis Verbeke (1592-1657), a Dutch Golden Age painter from Delft who specialized in still-life compositions. His works can be found in various museums across Europe, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Louvre in Paris.

In the 19th century, the Verbeke surname gained prominence in the literary world with the Belgian poet and playwright Karel Lodewijk Verbeke (1823-1890), whose works played a significant role in the Flemish literary revival of the time.

As the centuries passed, the Verbeke name continued to spread throughout Europe and beyond, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields, including art, literature, business, and science.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Verbeke

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

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

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

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