Dunkle
A rare surname whose origin is uncertain, but it may be a variant of Dunkel, a German name linked to “dark” or “dusky.”
The #9,736 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,744 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dunkle is most likely related to the German adjective dunkel, meaning “dark,” “gloomy,” or “dusky.” As a surname, it may have begun as a descriptive nickname for someone with dark coloring, a somber manner, or perhaps a shadowy place-name connection. The final -e can reflect regional spelling variation or later anglicization rather than a separate root.
History
The name appears in records in several spelling forms, and in English-speaking areas it is uncommon. Because the excerpted sources do not give a clear headword explanation for Dunkle itself, the safest reading is that it belongs to the wider family of German Dunkel/Dunkle surname forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In German, dunkel is still the everyday word for “dark,” which makes this one of the more transparent-looking surnames even when its exact family line is hard to pin down.
From the historical record
“wortn : Wills at Chester {\6ii-$o\ p. 70. 1800. Married— Thomas Dunkle and Elis. Eamshaw: St Gea Han. Sq. ii. 315. Manchester, a 5, 1,1; London, o, 4, 0, o ; West Riding (Yorks) Court Dir.,”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)