Surname Lemke - Meaning and Origin
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Unearthing Ancestry: The Significance of the Lemke Surname Explored Through a Personal iGENEA DNA Test Result
The significance of my iGENEA DNA test results has reshaped my view on the Lemke surname and our family identity. Understanding the origin of our diverse family lineage has been a truly enlightening experience, infusing me with a heightened sense of pride.
X. Lemke
read moreLemke: What does the surname Lemke mean?
The last name Lemke is of German origin and is derived from the Middle High German phrase “for the small, short one.” This phrase was often given as an affectionate nickname for a younger or shorter person. It evolved to become the surname Lemke, which was first recorded in Prussia and other parts of Germany in the 12th century. It is most common in the north-eastern part of Germany, especially in the state of Schleswig-Holstein.
The Lemke name is associated with several prominent German families including the noted theologian and philosopher, Immanuel Hermann von Pastk and the influential composer Hugo Hermann von Lemke.
The Lemke name is also associated with numerous noble families of Germany, including the House of Lemke-Aufsen. This noble house is said to have originated in the early 10th century and held multiple feudal properties in the area of Schleswig-Holstein.
The Lemke surname is also associated with Jewish Germans, many of whom were forced to flee to the United States and other parts of the world due to rising antisemitism in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s.
Today, the Lemke name is common throughout Europe and the United States. There is also an active Lemke genealogy society, which has done extensive research into Lemke family names and histories.
Order DNA origin analysisLemke: Where does the name Lemke come from?
The last name Lemke is most common in Germany, though it may also be found in other countries such as the United States. Within Germany it is most common in the north-eastern states, especially Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. It is the 23rd most common name in the country overall.
In the United States, Lemke is the 1,664th most common name and is most common in Wisconsin, followed by Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It could also be found in 31 other states with smaller numbers.
The origin of the surname Lemke is also Germanic, thought to mean "the son of a blade maker." It could be found in records before the Middle Ages, and some stories claim that the original Lemkes were knights in the court of medieval German kings.
The last name Lemke is still quite common in the countries where it is found. It is likely that those who bear the name today, regardless of their home country, can trace their ancestry back to the same original family.
Variations of the surname Lemke
The surname Lemke is of German origin and derivatives include Lemcke, Lemkemeyer, Limke, Lembke, Limcke and Lemcken.
The early variants of this surname included Lehenmecch, Lehenmecke, Lembke, Lembcke, Limcken, Limke and Limcke. In the Middle Ages, Lemke had developed from the Bavarians’ kingly name of Lenge.
By the 1800s, the Lemke surname had spread across Germany to Low Saxony, where the spelling variant knew as Limcke had become established as the only form of the name.
Variations in spelling the name Lemke have included Lehman, Lemkem, Lemkemann, Lemkering and Lemkemann. The modern spelling variant of the surname is Dieckmann and is sometimes written as Dieckman, Dieckmens, Dieckmanns, Diecks, Diemsen, Diens and Dilks.
The most common form of the Lemke surname today is Lemke. It is often seen spelled as Lamke, Lemmke, Lemcken, Lemske, Limke, Limcke and Lembke.
The Dutch form of the name is spelled Lemk or Lemck. In the USA, some variations of the Lemke name have become established, such as Lemkemeyer, Lemere, Limkemeier and Limkila.
The name Lemke has spread to Russia and is seen in the country as Lemchenko and Lemcken.
In the Czeck Republic, the name is Lemček and in France it is Lemcken.
The name Lemke can be found all over the world, with variations that are typically based on the type of language being used and the nation in which it is being spread.
Famous people with the name Lemke
- Jake Lemke: professional hockey player
- George Lemke: urban planner
- Rebecca Lemke: journalist
- Olivia Lemke: actress
- Ken Lemke: actor
- Chris Lemke: professional golfer
- Colin Lemke: former NFL player
- Hank Lemke: former MLB player
- Stephen Lemke: scholar
- Vonnie Lemke: professor of mathematics education