Explore the Family Name Franken
The meaning of Franken
1. Dutch: patronymic from Frank. 2. German: patronymic from Franke. 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Frank. In some cases it may be a shortened form of the various Jewish artificial compound names beginning with German Franken ‘Franconian’. Some characteristic forenames: German Ernst, Erwin, Gerhard, Klaus.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Franken in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Franken' experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Franken was ranked 18,953 in terms of popularity, but this shifted to 20,512 by 2010, representing an 8.23% decrease. The count of individuals with the surname also fell from 1,331 to 1,293, marking a 2.85% drop. Consequently, the proportion per 100,000 people using the Franken surname decreased by 10.2%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,953 | #20,512 | -8.23% |
| Count | 1,331 | 1,293 | -2.85% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.49 | 0.44 | -10.2% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Franken
Moving on to the ethnicity associated with the Franken surname, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates some shifts over the decade from 2000 to 2010. Predominantly, those identifying as White held this surname at 95.12% in 2000, which decreased slightly to 94.51% in 2010. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and American Indian and Alaskan Natives with the surname also decreased. However, there were increases among those identifying as Two or more races (from 0.68% to 0.93%), Hispanic (from 2.18% to 2.86%), and Black (from 0.53% to 0.62%) communities. This suggests that the ethnic identity connected with the Franken surname has become somewhat more diverse over time.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.12% | 94.51% | -0.64% |
| Hispanic | 2.18% | 2.86% | 31.19% |
| Two or More Races | 0.68% | 0.93% | 36.76% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.83% | 0.62% | -25.3% |
| Black | 0.53% | 0.62% | 16.98% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.68% | 0.46% | -32.35% |