Surname Gereke - Meaning and Origin
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Gereke: What does the surname Gereke mean?
The last name Gereke is of German origin and has several possible meanings. It could refer to the Old German words "ger," which means spear, or "raka," which means shield. It's also thought to be derived from the Old German words "gerik," which means strong and "raki," which means peace. Alternatively, it could have been used to denote someone from a place called Gereke, which is a small village in northern Germany.
The most common spelling of the last name is Gereke, though there are also other variants such as Gerick, Gerecke, Gerke, Gercke, Gericke, and Gerk. It's thought that this surname began to spread throughout Europe in the 1500s due to migration.
Today, the Gereke surname is relatively common in Germany, as well as other European countries like Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. In America, it's much rarer but there are still some families with the Gereke surname, especially in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
In conclusion, the last name Gereke is of German origin and may have several meanings depending on the source. It has spread throughout Europe and America over the centuries, and today there are still many families with this surname in Germany and other countries.
Order DNA origin analysisGereke: Where does the name Gereke come from?
The last name Gereke is of German origin and is still quite prevalent in modern Germany today. According to information from the German Federal Office of Statistics, as of 2019, it was one of the top 300 names in the country. It is most notably most common in Brandenburg and Schleswig-Holstein, two of the 16 federal states of Germany. According to records from 1792, the first Gereke’s were Hans and Thies Gereke, who lived in the Plötzsdorf province of Brandenburg.
The surname Gereke was not originally exclusive to Germany and has been found to have been shared by people of different nationalities in the past. Gereke’s were part of Valamond’s daily life in the early 20th century in the modern-day Republic of Latvia, and the surname has also been used by families who lived in the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Ukraine during the same period.
Gereke has taken on different forms depending on the language of the country where the family has lived. It is spelled "Gereke" in German, Gaerke in Swedish, Gereke in Danish, Gærke in Norwegian, and Gercke in Dutch. Today, it is quite common to find the name spelled differently depending on the location.
The Gereke family is inextricably linked to a historic Germanic past, but has been present in the lives of people in an array of countries. It is still one of the most common surnames in Germany, and with it comes a vast history of those who carried it before.
Variations of the surname Gereke
Gereke is a relatively uncommon surname of German origin. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German "ger" and "eche" which together mean "spear thrower". These elements are also found in the name Gerecke and Gehreke.
Variants of the surname Gereke include Gerecke, Gehrecke, Gerrecke, Gehrke, Gerke, and Gercke. Gereke is the least common variant, although all of them are relatively rare.
Gereke can be found in Germany and in neighboring countries as far south as Switzerland and Austria. It is also recorded in the United States, Canada, and Britain.
The surname Gereke often appears in various spellings. Some common variations of the name are Gerike, Gerike, Gerueke, Gerreck, Gerricke, and Gerack. These spellings generally evolved from the original German variant, Gereke.
It is also possible to find the surname Gereke attached to other surnames as prefixes or suffixes. These surnames can include Ziegler-Gereke, Schuppert-Gereke, Werthmüller-Gereke, Grau-Gereke, and Schwab-Gereke. These surnames indicate a common ancestor or a combination of ancestral surnames among various families.
For those interested in tracing their Gereke heritage, there are websites with records and directories dedicated to researching German surnames. Most of these websites require a subscription, but many of them offer both free and paid services.
Famous people with the name Gereke
- David Gereke: German American actor, director, editor, and producer.
- Dirk Gereke: German actor and director, primarily known for his work in Sönke Wortmann's films.
- Christian Gereke: German football player and coach.
- William Gereke: Canadian short story writer, editor, and novelist.
- Cornelius Gereke: German entomologist and pharmacologist.
- Hugo Gereke: German geographer, known for his work in tropic and subtropical climates.
- Rudolf Gereke: German military doctor and neurologist.
- Hannelore Gereke: German visual artist who works in a variety of media.
- Francis Gereke: American professional baseball player.
- Albert Gereke: German botanist, plant systematist, and mycologist.
- Lorenz Gereke: German architect, urban planner, and professor.
- Petra Gereke: German landscape artist and stage designer.
- James Gereke: American professional baseball player.
- Johanna Gereke: German experimental filmmaker.
- Wilhelm Gereke: Senior German Army officer during World War II.