Explore the Family Name Oelke

The meaning of Oelke

North German (rarely Ölke): 1. from a pet form of the male personal name Ulrich (see Oehl) or, perhaps in some cases, of the female name Olgardis. 2. nickname for a short person, from Low German ölken ‘dwarf’. Some characteristic forenames: German Otto, Diethelm, Erwin, Oskar, Wilhelm.

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

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

The surname Oelke saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, Oelke was ranked 25,969 and by 2010, it had dropped to rank 27,534, a change of -6.03%. The total count of individuals with the Oelke surname also decreased slightly. In 2000, there were 888 individuals bearing this surname and in 2010, this number fell to 875, representing a change of -1.46%. Consequently, the proportion of Oelkes per 100,000 people also dipped by -9.09%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#25,969	#27,534	-6.03%
Count	888	875	-1.46%
Proportion per 100k	0.33	0.3	-9.09%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Oelke

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data for ethnic identity, the Oelke surname predominantly identifies as White. In 2000, 97.97% of those with the Oelke surname identified as White. This percentage showed a minimal decline in 2010, coming down to 96.80%, a decrease of -1.19%. The Hispanic ethnicity also showed some increase in this period, growing by 51.33% from 1.13% in 2000 to 1.71% in 2010. The categories "Two or more races" and "American Indian and Alaskan Native" both recorded an emergence in 2010 with 0.69%. However, there were no individuals with the Oelke surname who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black in either 2000 or 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.97%	96.8%	-1.19%
Hispanic	1.13%	1.71%	51.33%
Two or More Races	0%	0.69%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0.69%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%