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

Warnke, 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 Warnke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Warnke in America

Warnke is the 11395th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Warnke surname appeared 2,767 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Warnke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Warnke 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 Warnke

The surname WARNKE is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of Germany during the late Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old German word "warn," meaning "to guard" or "to warn," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been sentries, guards, or watchmen.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name WARNKE can be found in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a certain Johann WARNKE is mentioned as a merchant in the year 1487. The name also appears in various church records and municipal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and Brandenburg.

During the 17th century, the WARNKE family gained prominence in the town of Neubrandenburg, where several members held positions of authority in the local government and church. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Friedrich WARNKE (1628-1702), who served as the mayor of Neubrandenburg, and his son, Christian WARNKE (1665-1734), a respected Lutheran pastor.

As the WARNKE family spread across northern Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as WARNKEN, WARNECKE, and WARNICK. These spellings were often influenced by regional dialects and local scribes' interpretations.

In the 19th century, several individuals bearing the surname WARNKE achieved notable accomplishments. Carl Friedrich WARNKE (1808-1888) was a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural renderings. Friedrich WARNKE (1830-1901) was a prominent jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Rostock.

Another noteworthy figure was Max WARNKE (1867-1944), a German architect who specialized in the design of schools and public buildings. His works include the St. Andreas School in Berlin and the Gründerzeit-style residential buildings in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood.

As the WARNKE family spread beyond Germany, the name took root in other parts of Europe and eventually in North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States can be found in the immigration records of the Port of New York, where a Johann WARNKE from Pomerania arrived in 1856.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Warnke

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

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

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

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