Explore the Family Name Henke

The meaning of Henke

German: from a pet form of the personal names Heinrich or Johannes. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Otto, Erwin, Gerhard, Heinz, Bernhard, Elke, Erhard, Franz, Fritz, Gerhardt, Gerhart.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Henke in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Henke saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 4348th most popular surname, but by 2010 it slipped to the 4690th position, marking a decline of 7.87%. However, the number of individuals bearing the surname remained relatively steady, with only a minor increase from 7557 in 2000 to 7566 in 2010. The proportion of people with the Henke name per 100k also dropped by 8.57% during this period.

20002010Change
Rank#4,348#4,690-7.87%
Count7,5577,5660.12%
Proportion per 100k2.82.56-8.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Henke

In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the surname Henke identified as White, although this percentage saw a marginal drop from 96.89% in 2000 to 96.26% in 2010. There were notable increases in the Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic groups, which rose by 36.84% and 39.68% respectively. The proportion of those identifying as Two or more races slightly increased, while the Black group experienced a growth of 36.36%. Conversely, there was a significant decrease in the American Indian and Alaskan Native group, where the representation fell by 40.91%.

20002010Change
White96.89%96.26%-0.65%
Hispanic1.26%1.76%39.68%
Two or More Races0.81%0.9%11.11%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.38%0.52%36.84%
Black0.22%0.3%36.36%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.44%0.26%-40.91%

Henke ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Henke is French & German, which comprises 44.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (30.5%) and Eastern European (8.0%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Indigenous American, and Filipino & Austronesian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German44.9%
British & Irish30.5%
Eastern European8.0%
Other16.6%
Henke

Possible origins of the surname Henke

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Henke have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Germany.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Glasgow City, United Kingdom65.50%
Greater London, United Kingdom65.50%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom65.50%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom64.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom64.90%

What Henke haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Henke is R-CTS1211, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS1211 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-P312 and I-L460, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Henning, Kroll, Alberts, Monson, Ernst, Birch, Berndt, Janssen, Wegner, Ehlers.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Henke surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

henkePaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Henke have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Henke

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Henke" Surname 34.8%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Henke

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Henke" Surname 16.1%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Henke

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Henke" Surname 16.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Henke

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Henke" Surname 16.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Henke?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Henke are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%