Fenske
A German surname likely formed from a personal name or place-name base, with the ending giving it a family-name shape common in northern German and Slavic-border regions.
The #9,761 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,996 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fenske is most likely a German surname built from a short personal-name base plus the diminutive/relational suffix -ke, a pattern common in northern Germany and nearby Slavic-influenced areas. In many such surnames, the initial element may go back to a pet form of a given name or to a local place-name rather than to a modern German word. The exact root is not certain from form alone, but the name is clearly of Central/Northern European origin.
History
The surname is found chiefly in German-speaking and formerly German-settled regions, and it also appears in North America through immigration from German lands in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Forms ending in -ke are especially common in northern Germany and areas influenced by Low German naming patterns. In the United States it remains relatively uncommon but recognizable as a German heritage name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -ke is a useful clue: it often points to a northern German surname shape, even when the original root is obscure.