2000
#2,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,575
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.29
Uncommon Last name
Falk
An occupational surname referring to a falconer or someone who hunts with falcons and hawks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,778 Americans carry the last name Falk. That puts it at #3,160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,824 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Falk surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Falk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,824
Census rank
#3,160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,143 bearers of the surname Falk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Falk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Falk
The surname Falk has its origins in Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "falke," which means "falcon." This name was likely given to someone who was associated with falconry, either as a falconer or someone who bred falcons.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Falk can be found in medieval German records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Dietrich Falk, a German nobleman who lived in the late 12th century.
During the High Middle Ages, the name Falk was particularly prevalent in regions such as Bavaria and Saxony. It was also found in areas of what is now Poland and the Czech Republic, which were part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time.
In the 14th century, the Falk name appeared in the Berne Shaking Book, a medieval manuscript that recorded legal transactions and disputes in the Swiss city of Berne. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of German-speaking Europe by that time.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the surname Falk was Johann Daniel Falk, a German naturalist and botanist who lived from 1768 to 1826. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life and was a pioneer in the field of horticulture.
Another prominent individual with the Falk surname was Adolph Falk, a German-American banker and philanthropist who lived from 1818 to 1901. He played a crucial role in the development of the banking industry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was known for his charitable endeavors.
In the Netherlands, the Falk surname was sometimes spelled as "Valck" or "Valke," reflecting the Dutch language's preference for the "v" sound over the German "f." One notable Dutch bearer of this name was Jacob Valcke, a 17th-century painter known for his portraits and genre scenes.
In England, the Falk surname can be traced back to the 16th century, likely originating from German or Dutch immigrants who brought the name with them. One famous English bearer of the Falk name was Samuel Falk, a 19th-century industrialist and philanthropist who lived from 1826 to 1892.
As the Falk name spread across Europe and beyond, it was often anglicized or adapted to local languages and spellings, such as "Falck" in Scandinavia or "Falk" in Russia and Eastern Europe. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its association with falconry and the German word "falke."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falk
Among Census respondents with the surname Falk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Falk bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Falk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 10,325
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 359
- Two or more races2.4% · 273
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 97
- Black or African American0.5% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Falk
Falk appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,979
+404 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 4.06
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#3,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,143
-836 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 3.73
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,842 | 11,575 | 4.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,991 | 11,979 | 4.06 | +404 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #3,160 | 11,143 | 3.73 | -836 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 169 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Falk surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,991 | #3,160 | -5.7% |
| Count | 11,979 | 11,143 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.06 | 3.73 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Falk bearers went from 11,979 to 11,143 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,991 to #3,160.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Falk
FAQ
Falk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Falk?
Name Census estimates that about 12,778 living Americans carry the surname Falk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,824 residents.
How common is Falk?
Falk ranks #3,160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,143 people with the surname Falk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,778), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Falk.
Has Falk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Falk went from 11,979 recorded bearers to 11,143. That is a decrease of 836 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,991 to #3,160.
What does the Census say about the background of Falk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Falk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Falk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (10,325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Falk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Falk (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Falk mean?
An occupational surname referring to a falconer or someone who hunts with falcons and hawks. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Falk (3.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Falk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.