Explore the Family Name Ke
The meaning of Ke
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 柯, meaning ‘bough, stalk’ in Chinese: (i) from the first element of the personal name Ke Lu (柯盧), personal name of a prince of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (ii) from the first element of the placename Ke Ze (柯澤), the name of a fief (located in Shandong province) granted to an official in the state of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) traced back to the Qiang ethnic group in ancient western China and the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China. (iv) adopted as a surname by the Ke Ba (柯拔) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). 2. Chinese: variant of Ge. 3. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 紀, see Ji 1. 4. Vietnamese: unexplained. Some characteristic forenames: Chinese Heng, Yong, Bin, Song, Yan, Zhi, Cheng, Chih-Ming, Chun-Yen, Fan, Fong, Gang. Vietnamese Lan, Hai, Hoa, Le Van, Mui, Tuy.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ke in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ke has seen significant growth in popularity from 2000 to 2010. Its rank improved from being the 21,349th most popular name in 2000 to the 15,494th in 2010, recording a positive change of 27.43%. The count, or the number of people bearing the surname, also jumped from 1,143 in 2000 to 1,890 in 2010, an increase of 65.35%. This rise is mirrored in the proportion per 100k, which also saw a boost of 52.38%, moving from 0.42 to 0.64.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,349 | #15,494 | 27.43% |
| Count | 1,143 | 1,890 | 65.35% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.42 | 0.64 | 52.38% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ke
When it comes to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that a large majority of individuals with the surname Ke identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. In 2000, this group constituted 78.65% of all Ke's, a figure that rose to 84.76% by 2010. However, there was a decline in the percentage of those identifying as White, which fell from 12.69% in 2000 to 8.94% in 2010. There was also a decrease in the percentage of those identifying as two or more races, dropping from 4.37% to 3.23%. Similarly, the proportion of Hispanic individuals fell slightly, decreasing by 9.14%. The counts for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities were suppressed for privacy reasons in the 2010 census.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 78.65% | 84.76% | 7.77% |
| White | 12.69% | 8.94% | -29.55% |
| Two or More Races | 4.37% | 3.23% | -26.09% |
| Hispanic | 1.75% | 1.59% | -9.14% |
| Black | 2.01% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.52% | 0% | 0% |