2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Falge
A toponymic surname referring to someone from a place with the same or similar name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Falge. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Falge surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Falge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Falge, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Falge
The surname Falge originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "falgen," which meant "to fold" or "to bend." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a folder or bender of materials.
The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, but over time spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Variations in spelling included Falgen, Falchen, and Falghe, reflecting regional dialects and differences in scribal practices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a document from the city of Leipzig in 1287, which mentions a certain "Johannes Falge." In the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, there are several references to individuals with the surname Falge throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.
A notable figure bearing the name was Hans Falge, a German painter and engraver who lived from around 1480 to 1535. He was a member of the Nuremberg School of artists and is known for his intricate woodcuts depicting religious and mythological scenes.
Another person of historical significance was Johann Falge, a Protestant theologian and reformer who lived from 1542 to 1612. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement and authored several influential works on theology and church doctrine.
In the 18th century, a man named Johann Friedrich Falge (1711-1784) gained recognition as a composer and organist in the city of Dresden. His compositions, primarily for organ and harpsichord, were widely performed in his time.
The name also appears in connection with the town of Falgelesben, located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is believed that the town's name may have derived from a person named Falge, suggesting that the surname may have been associated with a specific geographic location.
Throughout the centuries, the Falge name has been carried by various individuals across different professions, from artists and scholars to tradesmen and farmers. While not a particularly widespread surname, it has left its mark on the historical record of Germany and neighboring regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falge
Among Census respondents with the surname Falge, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Falge bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Falge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 5
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Falge
Falge appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+6 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,636 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+6.0%) | Up 8,636 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Falge surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #160,975 | #152,339 | 5.4% |
| Count | 100 | 106 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Falge bearers went from 100 to 106 (+6.0% change). The surname moved up 8,636 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,339.
FAQ
Falge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Falge?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Falge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Falge?
Falge ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Falge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Falge.
Has Falge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Falge went from 100 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 6 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Falge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Falge, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Falge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Falge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Falge (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Falge mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone from a place with the same or similar name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Falge (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Falge?
Find out how common the surname Falge is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.