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

Falkenstein, 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 Falkenstein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Falkenstein in America

Falkenstein is the 21717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Falkenstein surname appeared 1,198 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 Falkenstein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Falkenstein 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 Falkenstein

The surname Falkenstein is of German origin, derived from a place name in the German-speaking regions of Europe. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.

The name Falkenstein is composed of two Old German words: "falke," meaning falcon, and "stein," meaning stone or rock. Together, Falkenstein translates to "falcon's rock" or "falcon's stone." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location associated with falcons or falconry, possibly a rocky outcrop or castle where falcons were kept and trained.

Early records indicate that the Falkenstein name was widely dispersed throughout various German-speaking territories, including present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, which mentions a nobleman named Konrad von Falkenstein.

In the 14th century, the Falkensteins were a prominent noble family in the region of Thuringia, Germany. They held significant influence and owned several castles and estates, including the Falkenstein Castle near Königsee, which likely inspired their surname.

Among the notable individuals with the Falkenstein surname, Johann Philipp Falkenstein (1609-1668) was a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of Saxe-Weimar. His works included sacred and secular vocal compositions, as well as instrumental pieces.

Another prominent figure was Johann Gottfried Falkenstein (1721-1782), a German lawyer and jurist who served as the chief legal advisor to the Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He was widely respected for his expertise in Roman and German law.

In the 18th century, Johann Joachim Falkenstein (1737-1800) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and public spaces in Berlin and other cities in Prussia.

During the 19th century, Carl Falkenstein (1801-1855) was a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural scenes, many of which depicted the castles and historic buildings of his native Saxony.

Another notable bearer of the Falkenstein name was Adam Falkenstein (1906-1966), a German archaeologist and one of the pioneers in the decipherment of Sumerian cuneiform writing. His contributions to the study of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations were highly influential.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Falkenstein

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

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

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

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