Explore the Family Name Franks
The meaning of Franks
1. English, German, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): patronymic from Frank. 2. English: perhaps sometimes a variant of Frankish, an ethnic name from Middle English frankys ‘French, Frenchman’ (Old English frencisc), for someone from France.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Franks in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Franks has seen some changes between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Franks was ranked at 1080 in terms of most common surnames in the US, but it fell to a rank of 1165 in 2010, representing a drop of approximately 7.87 percent. However, despite this drop in rank, the number of people with the Franks surname actually increased slightly from 29,531 in 2000 to 30,155 in 2010 – an increase of 2.11 percent. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 population also decreased by 6.67 percent over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,080 | #1,165 | -7.87% |
| Count | 29,531 | 30,155 | 2.11% |
| Proportion per 100k | 10.95 | 10.22 | -6.67% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Franks
When it comes to ethnic identity, the Franks surname spans across diverse backgrounds, as shown in the Decennial U.S. Census data. Interestingly, there was a remarkable increase in the Hispanic population bearing the Franks surname from 1.47 percent in 2000 to 2.27 percent in 2010, marking a 54.42 percent change. Similarly, there were increases in the Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native populations that identify with the Franks surname during this period. Conversely, the White population identifying as Franks saw a decrease of 2.5 percent, dropping from 84.16 percent in 2000 to 82.06 percent in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.16% | 82.06% | -2.5% |
| Black | 11.59% | 12.32% | 6.3% |
| Hispanic | 1.47% | 2.27% | 54.42% |
| Two or More Races | 1.62% | 1.99% | 22.84% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.74% | 0.81% | 9.46% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.42% | 0.54% | 28.57% |
Franks ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Franks is British & Irish, which comprises 50.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.9%) and Eastern European (5.9%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Scandinavian, Nigerian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 50.5% |
| French & German | 22.9% |
| Eastern European | 5.9% |
| Other | 20.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Franks
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Franks have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 84.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 83.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 83.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 83.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 83.50% |
What Franks haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Franks is T-L208, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup T-L208 is descended from haplogroup T-M184. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-CTS4922, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Young, Taylor, Lang, Smith, Thompson, Green, Greene, Frank, Brown, Cooper.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Franks surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins T-M184Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Franks have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Franks" Surname 35.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Franks" Surname 23.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Franks" Surname 27.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Franks" Surname 18.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Franks?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Franks are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition