2000
#2,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.13
Uncommon Last name
Faulk
An English occupational surname referring to someone who kept and trained falcons for hunting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,392 Americans carry the last name Faulk. That puts it at #3,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faulk 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.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,659
Census rank
#3,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,806 bearers of the surname Faulk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faulk, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faulk
The surname Faulk has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'falc', meaning 'falcon' or 'hawker'. This name would have been given to someone who worked as a falconer or a person who hunted with falcons.
The name Faulk first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was 'Falconer', which later evolved into Faulkner and Faulk.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Thomas Faulk, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He was born in Gloucestershire, England, and was awarded lands for his bravery in battle.
In the 16th century, the name Faulk was found in various records in the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Oxfordshire. The village of Faulkbourne in Essex, England, is said to have derived its name from the Faulk family who lived there.
In the 17th century, John Faulk (1600-1678) was a prominent English merchant and landowner in Virginia, USA. He was one of the earliest settlers in the colony and played a significant role in its development.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Faulk (1787-1859), a British explorer and naturalist who travelled extensively in South America. He wrote several books about his expeditions and made significant contributions to the study of natural history.
In the 19th century, James Faulk (1834-1912) was a American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana.
The Faulk surname has also been associated with several notable authors, including John Henry Faulk (1913-1990), an American storyteller and radio host, and William Faulkner (1897-1962), the Nobel Prize-winning American novelist known for works such as "The Sound and the Fury" and "As I Lay Dying".
While the name Faulk is more commonly found in England and the United States, it has also been recorded in other parts of the world, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, likely due to migration patterns of English settlers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faulk
Among Census respondents with the surname Faulk, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Faulk 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 Faulk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 7,316
- Black or African American24.4% · 2,635
- Two or more races3.9% · 420
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 338
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faulk
Faulk 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
#3,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,656
+508 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#3,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,806
-850 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 3.62
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,969 | 11,148 | 4.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,084 | 11,656 | 3.95 | +508 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #3,262 | 10,806 | 3.62 | -850 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 178 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 Faulk 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 | #3,084 | #3,262 | -5.8% |
| Count | 11,656 | 10,806 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.95 | 3.62 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faulk bearers went from 11,656 to 10,806 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,084 to #3,262.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Faulk
FAQ
Faulk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faulk?
Name Census estimates that about 12,392 living Americans carry the surname Faulk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,659 residents.
How common is Faulk?
Faulk ranks #3,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.62 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 10,806 people with the surname Faulk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.62 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 Faulk.
Has Faulk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faulk went from 11,656 recorded bearers to 10,806. That is a decrease of 850 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,084 to #3,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Faulk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faulk, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Faulk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (7,316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faulk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Faulk (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 Faulk mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who kept and trained falcons for hunting. 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 Faulk (3.62 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 common is the surname Faulk?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Faulk on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.