Explore the Family Name Birke
The meaning of Birke
1. North German: variant of Birk 2. Compare Birkey. 2. Germanized form of Sorbian Běrk (see Berk) or of its cognate Běrka (see Berka). Compare Birkey. 3. Perhaps a shortened form of any of various Danish and Norwegian surnames beginning with Birke-, for example Birkeland and Birkelund (‘birch grove’). 4. Swedish: ornamental name derived from birk ‘birch’. 5. Ethiopian: from the personal name Birke, which is interpreted as ‘my precious’ in the Amharic language. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Some characteristic forenames: Ethiopian Lakew, Mesfin, Sisay.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Birke in the United States?
The surname Birke's popularity, as reported by the Decennial U.S. Census, has slightly decreased from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 62,396 in popularity and rose marginally to 63,218 by 2010, reflecting a negligible change of -1.32 percent. However, interestingly, the count of individuals with the Birke surname increased from 300 in 2000 to 316 in 2010, revealing an uptick of 5.33 percent. The proportion per 100k remained steady at 0.11 over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #62,396 | #63,218 | -1.32% |
| Count | 300 | 316 | 5.33% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Birke
In terms of ethnic identity, there was a significant change recorded in the percentage of individuals identifying as White and Black between 2000 and 2010. According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, in 2000, 95 percent of individuals with the Birke surname identified as White, decreasing by 4.73 percent to 90.51 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Black saw an impressive increase of 147.15 percent, moving from 3.33 percent in 2000 to 8.23 percent in 2010. During both census years, no Birk individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, American Indian, or Alaskan Native, or as having two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95% | 90.51% | -4.73% |
| Black | 3.33% | 8.23% | 147.15% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |