2000
#30,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 711
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Warnken
A surname thought to derive from a place name meaning "small hills".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 718 Americans carry the last name Warnken. That puts it at #38,120 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 477,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Warnken surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
718
1 in 477,374
Census rank
#38,120
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
626
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 626 bearers of the surname Warnken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38120th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Warnken, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Warnken
The surname WARNKEN is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of the country during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "warn," meaning "alert" or "vigilant," combined with the suffix "-ken," a diminutive form indicating a smaller or endearing version of something. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone perceived as watchful or cautious.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the WARNKEN name can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen dating back to the 13th century. In these records, a man named Hinrich Warnken is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1287.
The WARNKEN surname also appears in the Lübecker Ratslinien, a registry of the city council members in Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city in northern Germany. In 1435, a certain Johann Warnken is listed as a respected member of the council.
During the 16th century, the name WARNKEN gained greater prominence with the birth of Hans Warnken (1520-1589), a renowned theologian and reformer from Lüneburg. He played a significant role in the spread of Lutheranism in the region and authored several influential works on religious doctrine.
Another notable figure bearing the WARNKEN name was Gerhard Warnken (1672-1745), a German composer and organist who served in various churches across northern Germany. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were widely celebrated during his lifetime and contributed to the rich musical heritage of the region.
In the 19th century, the WARNKEN surname was further distinguished by Wilhelm Warnken (1822-1897), a prominent businessman and industrialist from Hamburg. He founded a successful shipbuilding company that played a crucial role in the city's maritime trade and economic growth.
As the WARNKEN surname spread throughout Germany and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, including Warnecke, Warneke, and Warncke. These variations often reflected regional dialects or phonetic adaptations but maintained a connection to the original German roots of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Warnken
Among Census respondents with the surname Warnken, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Warnken bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Warnken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 583
- Two or more races2.7% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 8
- Black or African American0.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Warnken
Warnken appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#33,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 686
-25 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 2,416 places
2020
#38,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 626
-60 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 4,804 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,900 | 711 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,316 | 686 | 0.23 | -25 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 2,416 places |
| 2020 | #38,120 | 626 | 0.21 | -60 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 4,804 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Warnken surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #33,316 | #38,120 | -14.4% |
| Count | 686 | 626 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.21 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Warnken bearers went from 686 to 626 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 4,804 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,316 to #38,120.
FAQ
Warnken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Warnken?
Name Census estimates that about 718 living Americans carry the surname Warnken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 477,374 residents.
How common is Warnken?
Warnken ranks #38,120 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 626 people with the surname Warnken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Warnken.
Has Warnken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Warnken went from 686 recorded bearers to 626. That is a decrease of 60 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,316 to #38,120.
What does the Census say about the background of Warnken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Warnken, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Warnken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (583 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Warnken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Warnken (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Warnken mean?
A surname thought to derive from a place name meaning "small hills". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Warnken (0.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Warnken?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.