2000
#454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,918
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.44
Uncommon Last name
Frank
A surname of Germanic origin referring to a free man or landowner, as opposed to a serf or servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 72,941 Americans carry the last name Frank. That puts it at #516 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,699 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frank 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 Frank with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
73K
1 in 4,699
Census rank
#516
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
64K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 63,608 bearers of the surname Frank in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 516th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frank, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frank
The surname Frank has its origins in the Germanic tribe known as the Franks, who emerged in the 3rd century AD in the region that is now modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. The name was derived from the Old Frankish word "franko," meaning "free" or "free man."
The Franks played a significant role in shaping the history of Europe, and their name became associated with nobility and power. In the 5th century AD, the Franks established the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled over a vast territory stretching from modern-day France to parts of Germany and the Low Countries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Frank can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Frank, indicating that the name had already spread beyond its original region by that time.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Frank was particularly prevalent in the areas of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It was also adopted by Jewish families living in these regions, who were often referred to as "Franks" or "Franken" to distinguish them from the local population.
Notable individuals with the surname Frank include Anne Frank (1929-1945), the famous diarist whose account of hiding from the Nazis during World War II became a powerful testament to the horrors of the Holocaust. Hans Frank (1900-1946) was a prominent Nazi leader and the governor-general of occupied Poland during World War II, while Melanchthon Frank (1590-1670) was a German theologian and philosopher.
In the realm of literature, the surname Frank is associated with writers such as Mary Shelley's husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), and the American novelist Richard Frank (1924-2023). Additionally, the surname has been carried by notable figures in various fields, such as the German-American philosopher Hans Frank (1900-1946) and the American artist Robert Frank (1924-2019).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frank
Among Census respondents with the surname Frank, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Frank 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 Frank surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 51,794
- Black or African American8.3% · 5,285
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 2,406
- Two or more races3.1% · 1,982
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 1,392
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 749
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frank
Frank 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
#499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 67,304
+1,386 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 22.82
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,608
-3,696 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 21.28
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #454 | 65,918 | 24.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #499 | 67,304 | 22.82 | +1,386 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #516 | 63,608 | 21.28 | -3,696 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 17 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 Frank 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 | #499 | #516 | -3.4% |
| Count | 67,304 | 63,608 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 22.82 | 21.28 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frank bearers went from 67,304 to 63,608 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #499 to #516.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Frank
FAQ
Frank surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frank?
Name Census estimates that about 72,941 living Americans carry the surname Frank. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,699 residents.
How common is Frank?
Frank ranks #516 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 63,608 people with the surname Frank. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (72,941), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Frank.
Has Frank become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frank went from 67,304 recorded bearers to 63,608. That is a decrease of 3,696 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #499 to #516.
What does the Census say about the background of Frank?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frank, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Frank in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (51,794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frank appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (8.3%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Frank (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 Frank mean?
A surname of Germanic origin referring to a free man or landowner, as opposed to a serf or servant. 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 Frank (21.28 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 people have the surname Frank?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.