Show ContentsJahnke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German surname Jahnke is derived from the popular first name "Johann," and simply means "son of Johann."

Early Origins of the Jahnke family

The surname Jahnke was first found in Plauen, in the eastern part of Saxony, where Johannes Jahn, the first recorded bearer of the name, was living in 1475.

Early History of the Jahnke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jahnke research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1475, 1591, 1609, 1641, 1663, 1724, 1763, 1778 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Jahnke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jahnke Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Janke, Jahnke, Jancke, Jahncke, Jahn, Jahnicke, Janisch, Jahnich and many more.

Early Notables of the Jahnke family

Prominent bearers of the family name Jahnke at this time were Sigismund Janke (1609-1663), a theologian and poet, Johann Gottfried Janke (1724-1763), an artist, Frederick Ludwig Jahn (1778-1852), a physical educationist known...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jahnke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jahnke Ranking

In the United States, the name Jahnke is the 7,750th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Jahnke migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jahnke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Jahnke, aged 32, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1787 [2]
Jahnke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J F E Jahnke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 [2]
  • Carl August Jahnke, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [2]
Jahnke Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Auguste Jahnke, who arrived in Chile in 1912 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Jahnke (post 1700) +

  • Kurt Albert Jahnke (1882-1945), German-American intelligence agent and saboteur active both during World War I and World War II
  • Ryan Jahnke (b. 1978), American figure skater
  • William F. Jahnke (b. 1883), American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 22nd District, 1922, 1934; Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Saginaw County 1st District, 1927-32 [3]
  • Herbert O. Jahnke, American politician, Representative from Wisconsin 4th District, 1974 [3]
  • Franklin M. Jahnke (b. 1900), American Republican politician, Dairy farmer; Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Green Lake and Waushara counties, 1957-68 [3]
  • Gerburg Jahnke (b. 1955), German comedian
  • Hugo Jahnke (1886-1939), Swedish gymnast
  • Cat Jahnke (b. 1980), Canadian singer-songwriter


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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