Explore the Family Name Tolk

The meaning of Tolk

1. German (also Tölk): from a Germanized Slavic pet form of a personal name based on Old Slavic (u)toliti ‘to soothe’, or a habitational name from any of the places so called in former East Prussia. Compare Toelke and Tulk. 2. German and Dutch: occupational name for an interpreter, Middle Low German and Dutch tolk, tollik.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Tolk in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Tolk has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Tolk was ranked 96,918 in popularity with a count of 174, equating to a proportion of 0.06 per 100k people bearing this surname. By 2010, the rank had dropped to 109,258 and the count to 162, reflecting a proportion of 0.05 per 100k. This constitutes a decline of approximately 12.73% in rank and 6.9% in count over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#96,918	#109,258	-12.73%
Count	174	162	-6.9%
Proportion per 100k	0.06	0.05	-16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tolk

Concerning the ethnic identity associated with the surname Tolk, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that it is primarily linked with White ethnicity. In 2000, 94.25% of individuals with the surname identified as White, a figure which dipped slightly to 92.59% by 2010. Hispanic identification rose from 0% in 2000 to 3.7% in 2010. However, there was a decrease in Black identification with the surname from 2.87% in 2000 to 0% in 2010. No individuals with the Tolk surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	94.25%	92.59%	-1.76%
Hispanic	0%	3.7%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Black	2.87%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%