The Behnke surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,824 people carried this name — #5,919 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 50,800 people counted. That is up 1% from 5,762 in 2000.

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In Poland’s population register

252 people named Behnke have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 324 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 10 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Kuyavian-Pomeranian.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Kuyavian-Pomeranian 67
Pomeranian 47
Lower Silesian 34
Greater Poland 31
Silesian 23
Masovian 16
Warmian-Masurian 16
West Pomeranian 14

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

42 people named Behnke live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 18
Fribourg 7
St. Gallen 6
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 4
Thurgau 4
Basel-Landschaft 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

35 people named Behnke is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 35

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Behnke in American newspapers,
1908.

Newspaper page from Saturday News carrying the name Behnke
Saturday News 1908-12-25
Newspaper page from Saturday News carrying the name Behnke
Saturday News 1908-12-04

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,615 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Behnke in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1970s.

190 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Behnke. The most, 41, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 3.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 116
New South Wales 32
Victoria 21
South Australia 11
Tasmania 4
Western Australia 2
ACT (Canberra) 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Behnke.

Who carried it

People named Behnke,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Gustav Behnke 1837–1919 · architect
  • Heinrich Behnke 1882–1952
  • Fritz Behnke 1888–1932 · graphic designer
  • Erich Behnke 1893–1977 · journalist
  • Heinrich Behnke 1898–1979 · mathematician
  • Kurt Behnke 1899–1964 · judge

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Behnke,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,466 records

1,466 records of the Behnke name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 997
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 157
  • Other U.S. records 312
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Leo E. Behnke

    Born 1908 in North Dakota. Enlisted 1946 at San Francisco, California; farm hand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1975, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sophie Behnke

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Barbarossa from Cherbourg, aged 15; servant. From Ottersberg, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard Carl Behnke

    Born 1942; from Jefferson, Wisconsin. U.S. Army; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,466 records for Behnke in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany1,348 records

1,348 records of the Behnke name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 1,340
  • German emigration and citizenship files 8
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Friedrich Behnke

    Born 1897; from Bremen. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 2 December 1918; then reported dead in the list of 16 January 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 75).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Behnke

    Emigrated to South America in 1865.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Carl Gustav Behnke

    Emigrated to Switzerland in 1883.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,348 records for Behnke in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Australia26 records

26 records of the Behnke name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 15
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 7
  • Other Australian records 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Christ Behnke

    Arrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Salier, aged 24; German.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Edwin Behnke

    Management consultan of Preston, Victoria; died 1998.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Juergen Johann Martin Behnke

    Died 1970 in Launceston; inquest held in Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 26 records for Behnke in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands17 records

17 records of the Behnke name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 10
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 7
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johanna Selma Behnke

    Died 1958 in Kerkrade, aged 75.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Kerkrade (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hedwig Klara Behnke

    Married in 1924 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Frida Behnke

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1898 in Reutlingen.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Behnke in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada8 records

8 records of the Behnke name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 5
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Adolph Behnke

    Buried in 1981 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 73.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bruno Behnke

    Died 1971; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elsie William Behnke

    Buried in 1955 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 8 records for Behnke in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Behnke name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paul Andreas Behnke

    Born 1962 in Germany; died 1996 in Albi (Tarn).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Behnke.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Behnke is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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