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

Werk, 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 Werk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Werk in America

Werk is the 47521st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Werk surname appeared 446 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 Werk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Werk 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 Werk

The surname "WERK" is of German origin and dates back to the 14th century. It was originally derived from the German word "werk," meaning "work" or "labor." The name likely referred to an occupation, particularly one involving manual labor or craftsmanship.

In its earliest forms, the surname was often spelled as "Werck" or "Werk." It was commonly found in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland, where German surnames were prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a historical document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1387, which mentions a "Hans Werk" as a resident. Another early record is from a land registry in the town of Bamberg, dated 1412, listing a "Peter Werck" as a landowner.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various church records and tax registers across German-speaking regions. Notable individuals with the surname during this period include Johann Werk (1520-1589), a Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg, and Hans Werk (1550-1612), a prominent woodcarver from Augsburg.

As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Werke" and "Wercke." In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Georg Werck (1635-1707), a German composer and organist from Saxony.

In the 18th century, the name "WERK" appeared in several historical records, including the baptismal records of St. Michael's Church in Hamburg, which mention a "Johann Hinrich Werk" in 1712. Another noteworthy individual was Friedrich August Werk (1765-1831), a German philosopher and writer from Leipzig.

The 19th century saw the surname spread further across Europe and even to the Americas. One notable figure was Carl Werk (1828-1903), a German-American entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Werk Soap Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Other individuals of note include the German painter Wilhelm Werk (1853-1932) and the Austrian architect and urban planner Otto Werk (1890-1954).

Throughout its history, the surname "WERK" has been associated with various professions and occupations, reflecting its origins as a descriptor of manual labor or craftsmanship.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Werk

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

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

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

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