Show ContentsSchmidtke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Schmidtke family

The surname Schmidtke was first found in the northern provinces that were later to make up Prussia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region.

Early History of the Schmidtke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schmidtke research. Another 237 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1537, 1564, 1618, 1630, 1648, 1708, 1752, 1764, 1766, 1768, 1787, 1815, 1817, 1837, 1838, 1849, 1853, 1854, 1875, 1876, 1880 and 1918 are included under the topic Early Schmidtke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schmidtke Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Schmidtke include Schmidt (northern Germany), Schmid (southern Germany), Schmitz (Rhineland), Schmied, Schmitt, Smith (English) and many more.

Early Notables of the Schmidtke family

Notable figures of the time with the name Schmidtke were Bernhard Schmidt (1630-1708), known as "Father Smith", who was a famous organ builder; Georg Philipp Schmidt (1766-1849), known as "Schmidt from Luebeck", who was a physician and Romantic poet; Friederich Wilhelm Schmidt (1764-1838), who was a Prussian pastor and poet; Christoph von Schmid (1768-1854), Roman Catholic priest and writer of Christmas...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Schmidtke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Schmidtke migration to the United States +

The state of Prussia was a great influence on the shape of modern Germany. After the Second World War, Prussia's land was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany and the state was abolished. Some Prussians remained in those countries after the war, while many others migrated to North America in search of a new start. Philadelphia was their primary point of entry to the United States, after which many of them moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. A large number of Prussians also migrated to Ontario and the prairie provinces as United Empire Loyalists. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Schmidtkes to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Schmidtke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Louise Schmidtke, aged 16, who immigrated to America from Fichtkathen, Germany, in 1893
  • Edward Schmidtke, who arrived in New York in 1894
  • Emelia Schmidtke, who settled in New York in 1894
  • Emma Schmidtke, who settled in New York in 1894
  • Friederike Schmidtke, who settled in New York in 1894
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Schmidtke Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Wladislaus Schmidtke, aged 20, who landed in America, in 1902
  • Friedrich Schmidtke, aged 29, who settled in America from Hamburg, Germany, in 1909
  • Paul Schmidtke, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Berlin, Germany, in 1911
  • Erwin Schmidtke, aged 22, who landed in America from Kiel, Germany, in 1913
  • Emil Schmidtke, aged 44, who immigrated to the United States from Achterberg, Germany, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Schmidtke (post 1700) +

  • Ned Schmidtke (b. 1942), American film and television actor
  • Clark Schmidtke Sr., American politician, Independent Candidate for South Dakota State Senate 8th District, 2010 [1]
  • Fredy Schmidtke (b. 1961), West German gold medalist track cyclist at the 1984 Summer Olympics


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook