Posted By:	Hans-Rasmus Steinke
	Email:
	Subject:	Re: Prussian Steinkes
	Post Date:	January 02, 2008 at 18:52:34
	Message URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/steinke/messages/290.html
	Forum:	Steinke Family Genealogy Forum
	Forum URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/steinke/

Hi I am a Steinke from Germany and i want to try to answer both of your questions. Pleasy apologize if my english is sometimes a little bit poor, but I'm not a native speaker ;) -- The name is kind of common in Germany. Especialy in the east, the area around berlin and near the former german region "Ostpreußen"(Eastern Prussia), but also in Bavaria and the region around Cologne. The reason for the commonness of this name is his presumed meaning. Some scientist think that it means "small stone" (stein is german for stone, -ke is a minimization) So it has no special meaning. For the Steinkes in America can I just say that it possible, because of the immigration. Sadly I couldn't find any information like log books and passes in Germany to see in which amount people with the name Steinke shipped out into the New World. So it is more possible for you to have a relation with a american Steinke than for me to have a relation with a german Steinke. -- It is very improbably that the Steinkes are related to the ex-pope. If you for example compair the names (please apologize if i type in the names wrong): The name Steinke is translated into polish Kaminski (or Chaminsky). The popes name was Woytila. Additional his family is located somewhere in the South of Poland, while the Steinkes are a real Prussian/posian(?) name. But you can't eliminate any possibility of being related to him, because the registers of many Steinkes are lost because of the 30 year war and the dispossession out of the eastern counties douring and after World War II I hope I could help you a little bit