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

Warkentin, 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 Warkentin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Warkentin in America

Warkentin is the 23785th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Warkentin surname appeared 1,063 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 Warkentin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Warkentin 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 Warkentin

The surname Warkentin is of German origin, derived from the Low German words "Wark" meaning "work" or "labor" and "entin" denoting a place name suffix. It likely emerged in the northern regions of Germany during the medieval period, potentially referring to someone who worked on a particular estate or farm.

The earliest recorded instances of the Warkentin name can be traced back to the 16th century in the areas of Friesland and East Prussia. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Hans Warkentin, a farmer who lived in the village of Neuwark, East Prussia, in the late 1500s.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Warkentin family expanded across various regions of Prussia and the Baltic states. Notable individuals from this era include Johann Warkentin (1634-1701), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia), and Anna Warkentin (1690-1755), a respected midwife and herbalist in the town of Memel (now Klaipėda, Lithuania).

During the 19th century, many Warkentins migrated to other parts of Europe and North America, particularly to Russia and Ukraine, where they established Mennonite communities. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Bernhard Warkentin (1847-1908), a Prussian-born Mennonite leader who played a significant role in the settlement of Mennonites in the Chaco region of Paraguay.

Another notable figure was Gerhard Warkentin (1865-1937), a Russian-born Mennonite scholar and writer who authored several books on Mennonite history and culture. He was also a prominent educator and served as the principal of the Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna, Manitoba, Canada.

In more recent times, the Warkentin surname has been associated with various individuals in fields such as academia, arts, and literature. For example, Germaine Warkentin (1909-2000) was a Canadian author and educator who wrote several novels and short stories exploring the experiences of Mennonite immigrants in Canada.

While the Warkentin name originated in Northern Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Mennonite populations. The name's etymology and historical roots reflect the cultural and occupational backgrounds of its early bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Warkentin

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

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

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

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