2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wilcke
Of German origin, a topographic name for someone living by a creek or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Wilcke. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wilcke 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Wilcke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilcke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wilcke
The surname Wilcke is believed to have its origins in Germany. Dating back to the medieval period, this surname is likely derived from the given name Wilhelm, which is the German form of William. Wilhelm itself comes from the Old High German words "wil," meaning will or desire, and "helm," meaning helmet or protection. As with many surnames, Wilcke would have originally denoted a familial connection to someone named Wilhelm.
Wilcke appears in historical records and manuscripts from various parts of Germany, including regions such as Saxony and Brandenburg. The name is found in church records, taxation documents, and various legal agreements from the late Middle Ages. The spelling variants of Wilcke include Wilke and Wilken. These variations often depended on regional dialects and the scribes’ phonetic interpretations.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Wilcke can be found in the late 15th century in German parish registers. Records from the region of Brandenburg mention a Johan Wilcke in the year 1485. Further, the name appears in legal documents related to land ownership and trade in the early 1500s, indicating that bearers of the surname were involved in various economic activities.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Wilcke surname appeared in official records and correspondence. Heinrich Wilcke, born around 1623 in Saxony, was noted as a prominent merchant who contributed to local trade markets until his death in 1687. Another significant individual was Friedrich Wilcke, an early 18th-century scholar born in 1695 who authored several theological manuscripts before passing in 1762.
Anna Wilcke, born in 1761, was a notable historical figure, having been a benefactress for several schools in the Brandenburg area. She dedicated much of her life to charitable work before her death in 1830. The name Wilcke also appears in military registers; Captain Ludwig Wilcke, who served in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars, was born in 1779 and died in 1844.
In the field of academics, Karl Friedrich Wilcke, born in 1824, made significant contributions to the early sciences, being recognized for his work in chemistry and physics up until his death in 1898. His published works and academic contributions were highly regarded in European scientific circles.
The surname Wilcke, with its rich historical background and origins tied to the Germanic given name Wilhelm, reflects a lineage of individuals involved in various sectors such as commerce, scholarship, and philanthropy. The variations in spelling and the distribution of the name across different regions of Germany highlight the historical migration and adaptation patterns of families bearing this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wilcke
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilcke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Wilcke 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 Wilcke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wilcke
Wilcke 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-14 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,328 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 20,328 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Wilcke 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wilcke bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Wilcke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wilcke?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Wilcke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Wilcke?
Wilcke ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Wilcke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Wilcke.
Has Wilcke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wilcke went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Wilcke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wilcke, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Wilcke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wilcke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Wilcke (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 Wilcke mean?
Of German origin, a topographic name for someone living by a creek or stream. 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 Wilcke (0.04 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 people are called Wilcke?
Find out how many people are called Wilcke on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.