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Wanke Family History

Wanke Surname Meaning

German (of Slavic origin): from a Germanized pet form of an Old Slavic personal name Latinized as Wenceslaus (see Vaclav and Wenzlaff).

German: variant of Wank2 a habitational name from a place called Wank in Bavaria.

Germanized form of Czech Vaněk (see Vanek) a cognate of 1 above.

Germanized form of Sorbian Wank and its cognates Wanka and Wanko.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Wanke family from?

You can see how Wanke families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wanke family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1871 and 1920. The most Wanke families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 4 Wanke families living in Yorkshire. This was about 57% of all the recorded Wanke's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Wanke families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wanke surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Wanke ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Waitress were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Wanke. 23% of Wanke men worked as a Farmer and 30% of Wanke women worked as a Waitress. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wanke were Farm Laborer and Assembler.

View Census Data for Wanke | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    23%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Farm Laborer
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Waitress
    30%
  • Housework
    24%
  • School Teacher
    12%
  • Assembler
    12%

What Wanke family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4,000 census records available for the last name Wanke. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wanke census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Wanke

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Wanke. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Wanke immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Wanke. For the veterans among your Wanke ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Wanke military records

You've only scratched the surface of Wanke family history

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What is the average Wanke lifespan?

Between 1958 and 2004, in the United States, Wanke life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Wanke in 1958 was 51, and 89 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wanke

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Wanke ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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