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

Fake, 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 Fake surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fake in America

Fake is the 31107th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fake surname appeared 746 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fake.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fake 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.

The history of the last name Fake

The surname FAKE is believed to have originated in the regions of southern Germany and northern Switzerland during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old German word "fak," which means "enclosed field" or "small area of land." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on a small, enclosed piece of farmland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FAKE can be found in the Zürcher Bürgerbuch, a register of citizens in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, dating back to the late 15th century. In this document, the name is spelled as "Fakke," indicating a potential variation in the spelling over time.

The FAKE surname is also mentioned in several historical records from the region, including the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Basel, a collection of documents from the city of Basel, Switzerland, which dates back to the 13th century. In these records, the name is sometimes spelled as "Fack" or "Facke."

One notable figure with the surname FAKE was Hans Fake (1480-1542), a Swiss Protestant reformer and theologian who was a contemporary of Martin Luther. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Switzerland and was known for his writings and sermons advocating for religious reform.

Another individual of historical significance was Anna Fake (1540-1612), a German midwife and herbalist who was renowned for her knowledge of traditional medicine and her contributions to the field of obstetrics. Her writings and teachings were influential in her time and helped to advance the understanding of childbirth and women's health.

In the 17th century, Johann Fake (1612-1678) was a prominent German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings, including churches and public buildings, in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

Moving forward to the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Fake (1720-1789) was a German composer and organist who is remembered for his contributions to church music and his compositions for organ and choir.

Finally, in the 19th century, Wilhelm Fake (1845-1918) was a German painter and art educator who was known for his landscape paintings and his teachings at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich.

While the origins of the surname FAKE can be traced back to the medieval period in southern Germany and northern Switzerland, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with various spellings and variations emerging over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fake

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

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 Fake was:

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 Fake has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Fake was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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