Name bearers

The Hertzkes are not only present in Europe but worldwide. However, their distribution across different continents is relatively recent, as the first emigrants left their homeland only about 140 years ago. The very first Hertzke to arrive in the United States of America was Johann Ernst Hertzke. He was born on July 3, 1854, in Kahlstädt, Kreis Kolmar, West Prussia. In 1882, he emigrated from there to the USA. Together with his wife Johanna Emilie Steinberg and their children Hedwig and Paul, he initially settled in Minnesota. After moving to Iowa and having many more offspring, his wife passed away after having 12 children, and he married Caroline Minnie from Wisconsin. Together, they had eight more children in South Dakota and Colorado before Johann Ernst passed away in the latter place in 1927. It is assumed that many of today’s Hertzke-Americans are descendants of one of Johann Ernst’s 20 children.

All individuals with the surname Hertzke or a similar name variant, who have not yet been connected to my family, are listed on this page. If you would like to voluntarily register as a name representative, please feel free to send me a message. I would be delighted to discover more Hertzkes.

Areas of origin in Prussia

I have started to map the regions of origin for the Hertzkes and Herzkes from Prussia, whether they are families or individuals. Although the map is not up to date, it still provides an informative overview of their distribution. Under surname, you can find two external distribution maps of the last name.