Surname Henkes - Meaning and Origin
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Henkes: What does the surname Henkes mean?
The last name Henkes is of German origin, derived from the word "Henke" meaning "home". It is a topographic name associated with someone from the geographical location of Henkes, which is a mountain in Germany. The surname likely originated as a reference to someone living in or near the mountain area.
The Henkes family is thought to have originated from North-Rhine Westphalia, one of Germany's 16 states. The Henkes family were considered to be of a noble rank with roots that trace back to the Middle Ages, when it was used as a title of nobility. The name has evolved into a surname mainly in areas of the European continent, and it can also be found in the United States.
The name Henkes has also served as the basis of several communities in Germany, as well as the name of a recreational lake in Brandenburg. A castle, Henkesburg, was also constructed in the town of Wulfen and the old town hall of Hamburg also features a Henkes Hall. Today, the name Henkes is still fairly widespread in Germany and other parts of Europe, as well as the United States.
It is likely that people with the surname Henkes share the same spirit for adventure and exploration that their ancestors had when they first settled in Germany. It is also possible that some people with the last name may be related and could potentially share some common activities and interests.
Order DNA origin analysisHenkes: Where does the name Henkes come from?
The last name Henkes is most common today in the Netherlands, Germany, and the United States. In the Netherlands, the name Henkes appears most frequently in the provinces of Gelderland, Overijssel, and Utrecht. Additionally, Henkes is found in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, which became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1954.
In Germany, the last name Henkes appears in the states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Hesse, in that order. In the United States, Henkes is most commonly found in Wisconsin, where it originated, as well as in Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania.
As of the last available census estimate in 2019, over 3,200 people in the United States reported Henkes as their last name. The same census found over 12,000 inhabitants of the Netherlands with the last name Henkes. While no firm statistics are available for Germany, the name still appears in the telephone directories of several cities in all three countries.
At the same time, Henkes is still a relatively uncommon last name. If you come across someone with the last name Henkes, it is likely that they have ancestral roots in the Netherlands, Germany, or the United States or have moved from one of these countries in more recent decades.
Variations of the surname Henkes
The surname Henkes originates from a Germanic personal name, Heike. Variations or different spellings of this name may include: Henke, Hencke, Hencken, Henneke, Heincke, and Henken. In some cases, a double 'n' is used; for example, Hennecken and Hennenke.
Variant surnames of Henkes are Heineken, Heinecke, Heinemann, Heine, Heyne, Heyden, and Hightower. Many of these surnames have their own unique spellings such as: Haneke, Hancken, Hieneke, Hienecken, Hiemann, and Heinicke.
The surname Henkes is very common in Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium. It is also found in other parts of Europe and the United States. Many European immigrants to the United States changed their names upon arriving in order to blend in with the population, resulting in variant spellings of many surnames.
There is also a country of origin related to the Henkes name. People who bear the surname are believed to have originated in Saxony, Germany. During the migration era of the 1800s, many people with the surname Henkes moved to the United States (primarily from Germany and the Netherlands). It has also been found in Switzerland, where the Henkes surname is more common than in other countries.
There are also descendants of the Henkes family scattered throughout Europe and North America. It is believed that there are over 300,000 people in the world that bear the Henkes surname today.
Famous people with the name Henkes
- Kevin Henkes: award-winning children's writer and illustrator
- Peter Henkes: Belgian dam builder and novelist
- Gesina Jacobs Henkes: Dutch photographer
- Paul Henkes: Dutch comic artist
- Petrus Henkes: Dutch chess master
- Esther Henkes: German actress
- Claude Henkes: French actor
- Vincenzo Henkes: Italian pianist and composer
- August Henkes: German Biblical scholar
- Christian Henkes: Swiss theologian
- Blanche Henke: English gardener and florist
- Abraham Henkes: Dutch scientist
- Willem Henkes: Dutch mathematician
- Helga Henkes: German translator
- Ernst Henkes: German geographer
- Stephen Henkes: American school administrator
- Bridget Henkes: Canadian actress
- Johann Henkes: German organist
- Gordon Henkes: Canadian wrestler
- Andrew Henkes: American lawyer