This is one of my favorite names. I like how it is soft at the beginning, but has firmness brought with the “ke” at the end. The name feels youthful and free, but simultaneously mature and strong. It has a great sound and works well as a name for any gender.
I am from South Africa and my name is also Heike, everyone calls me Hay-ke (like it is spelled in Afrikaans) but my German grandparents call me High-ke.
There was a German woman that used to live next door to us with this name, and when we were children we always used to laugh about it because it brings to mind a hiker. But she was a nice woman. :)