Steinke
A German surname built on the word for “stone,” often from a place name or a nickname for someone connected with stone or rocky ground.
The #6,211 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,074 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Steinke is a German surname formed from Stein, meaning “stone” or “rock.” The ending -ke is a common German diminutive or surname-forming suffix in some dialect areas, so the name likely began as a short form or variation of a stone-related byname or place-name. In practice, surnames of this type often arose either from a person living near a notable stone, rocky place, or settlement with Stein in the name.
History
The name is most at home in German-speaking areas, and the historical forms cited in older surname dictionaries show it alongside other Stein- names such as Steinig and Steinicke. In modern usage it is found in Germany and among descendants of German immigrants abroad, especially in the United States. Because many Stein- surnames overlap between locational and descriptive origins, the exact starting point can vary by family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
German surname dictionaries often group Steinke with a whole family of related names built on Stein, showing how productive the “stone” root was in surname formation.
From the historical record
“Also a freq. loc. n. Stonex. N. Steinn-6x ; G. Stein- ike, Steinig, Steinke, Steinacker; p.n. Stoney. A loc. n., Warw.”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (1st ed.)