Hanke
Usually a pet-form surname from a short medieval form of John, especially in Low German areas.
The #9,054 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) â about 1 in every 85,549 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hanke is generally explained as coming from a medieval pet-name or short form of Johannes (John), especially in Low German and German-speaking areas. The cited scholarship links Hanke with related forms such as Hanke, Henke, Heinicke, and similar diminutives built from the same short-name tradition. In some English records, the same kind of nickname could also be treated as a basis for a patronymic surname.
History
The name appears in medieval English and Continental records, with early spellings such as Roger Hanke in Norfolk in the 14th century. In Germany and neighboring regions, it belongs to a wide family of nicknames and diminutives from Johannes/Hans that produced many regional surname forms. English examples may reflect either direct borrowing from Low German or the same nickname pattern independently adapted in English records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley notes that if the nickname was introduced into England as a family name, the patronymic form would naturally have been Hanks.
From the historical record
“Perks from Perkins, Dawks from Dawkins, Hawks from Hawkins, *c, (a) Hanka or Hanke was an early Low Country pet-name for John (v. Yonge's Glossary). Intro- duced into England Ihe patronymic would be Hanks. In either case the origin is practically the si”
â A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances