Conklin last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Conklin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Conklin.

Meaning of Conklin

A surname of Dutch origin, referring to a descendant of Conrad or Konrad, meaning "bold counsel" or "brave advice."

Conklin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Conklin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Conklin in America

Conklin is the 1501st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Conklin surname appeared 23,846 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Conklin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Conklin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1501 1390 7.68%
Count 23,846 23,371 2.01%
Proportion per 100k 8.08 8.66 -6.93%

The history of the last name Conklin

The surname Conklin is an English name that originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "conic" (rabbit) and "hlyn" (hill or ridge), suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a rabbit-inhabited hill or ridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Conklin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Conincliffe." This entry refers to a place name in Yorkshire, further solidifying the northern English origins of the surname.

During the 13th century, the name was also recorded as "Conyngclyffe" and "Conyncliffe" in various historical documents from the region. These spellings reflect the linguistic evolution of the name over time, as well as local variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

Prominent historical figures bearing the Conklin surname include John Conklin (1608-1695), one of the earliest settlers of Long Island, New York, who arrived in the 1630s from England. Another notable individual was Reverend Teunis Theodorus Conklin (1788-1859), a Dutch Reformed minister and pioneer of religious education in New York.

In the 19th century, Jacob Conklin (1800-1882) was a renowned inventor and manufacturer of agricultural machinery from Indiana. Additionally, Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888), a prominent American lawyer and politician, served as a United States Senator from New York and played a significant role in the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.

John Conklin (1896-1977), an American architect known for his work in the Art Deco style, designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Philadelphia Life Insurance Company Building and the Shelton Hotel.

Throughout history, the Conklin surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Conklin Forks and Conklin Hill in New York, further reflecting the name's geographical origins and connections.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Conklin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Conklin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Conklin was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.04% 22,186
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.25% 298
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.64% 153
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.86% 205
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.80% 429
Hispanic Origin 2.42% 577

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Conklin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.04% 94.37% -1.42%
Black 1.25% 1.20% 4.08%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.64% 0.42% 41.51%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.86% 0.93% -7.82%
Two or More Races 1.80% 1.46% 20.86%
Hispanic 2.42% 1.61% 40.20%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Conklin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Conklin, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Conklin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 3, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/conklin-surname-popularity/.

"Conklin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/conklin-surname-popularity/. Accessed 3 October, 2024

Conklin last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/conklin-surname-popularity/.

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