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

Wanke, 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 Wanke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wanke in America

Wanke is the 32236th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wanke surname appeared 715 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 Wanke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wanke 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 Wanke

The surname Wanke is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old High German word "wank," which means "wavering" or "unsteady." It is believed that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had an unsteady gait or staggered while walking.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Wanke can be found in various historical documents from the late 12th century, primarily in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable mention is in the Nuremberg Burgraviate records from 1296, where a Heinricus Wanke is listed as a landowner in the village of Erlangen.

In the 14th century, the surname Wanke appeared in several municipal records and tax rolls in the city of Leipzig. A certain Hans Wanke, born around 1370, was a prominent merchant and member of the city council during that time. His son, Konrad Wanke (1402-1478), was a distinguished cleric and served as the Dean of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

The name Wanke is also associated with the town of Wankendorf in Schleswig-Holstein, which was first mentioned in a historical document from 1237 as "Wankendorp." It is possible that some families adopted the surname Wanke after migrating from this region.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Wanke was Johann Wanke (1520-1588), a German theologian and Reformist scholar who studied under Martin Luther. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and authored several religious texts.

Another notable individual with the surname Wanke was Wilhelm Wanke (1789-1865), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of Berlin's cityscape during the 19th century. He designed several iconic buildings, including the Neue Wache and the Friedrichswerder Church.

Other historical figures with the surname Wanke include Amalie Wanke (1836-1912), a German author and women's rights activist; Hans Wanke (1904-1994), a German astronomer known for his work on lunar cartography; and Joachim Wanke (1928-2009), a German rower who won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wanke

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

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

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

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