2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Falkenstern
A surname derived from the German words "falke" (falcon) and "stern" (star), potentially indicating origin or association.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Falkenstern. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Falkenstern 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Falkenstern in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Falkenstern, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Falkenstern
The surname Falkenstern is of German origin, derived from the German words "falke" meaning falcon, and "stern" meaning star. It is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, in the region of Bavaria.
The name likely referred to a house or inn sign depicting a falcon and a star, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been innkeepers or tavern owners. Alternatively, it could have been a descriptive surname given to someone living near a particular landmark or location associated with a falcon and a star.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the Falkenstern name can be found in various German records and documents from the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a Johann Falkenstern is mentioned in the court records of Nuremberg in 1487. Additionally, a Hans Falkenstern is listed as a resident of Augsburg in a 1532 census.
The Falkenstern name has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Friedrich Falkenstern (1647-1718), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Wittenberg. Another was Konrad Falkenstern (1802-1876), a Bavarian politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) in the mid-19th century.
Other notable bearers of the Falkenstern name include Johannes Falkenstern (1565-1624), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony, and Katharina Falkenstern (1720-1792), a renowned German artist and painter known for her portraiture and still-life works.
Furthermore, the Falkenstern name can be found in various old place names and locations throughout Germany. For instance, there is a village called Falkenstern in the district of Lichtenfels, Bavaria, which may have derived its name from the same source as the surname.
While the Falkenstern surname is not among the most common German surnames, it has a rich history and has been borne by several notable figures throughout the centuries, reflecting its origins and connections to various regions and locations within Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falkenstern
Among Census respondents with the surname Falkenstern, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Falkenstern 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 Falkenstern surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Falkenstern
Falkenstern appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+15 bearers (+13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,878 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-17 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+13.5%) | Up 4,878 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 16,342 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 Falkenstern 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 | #133,863 | #150,205 | -12.2% |
| Count | 126 | 109 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Falkenstern bearers went from 126 to 109 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 16,342 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #150,205.
FAQ
Falkenstern surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Falkenstern?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Falkenstern. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Falkenstern?
Falkenstern ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Falkenstern. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Falkenstern.
Has Falkenstern become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Falkenstern went from 126 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Falkenstern?
Among Census respondents with the surname Falkenstern, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Falkenstern in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Falkenstern appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Falkenstern (2000, 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 Falkenstern mean?
A surname derived from the German words "falke" (falcon) and "stern" (star), potentially indicating origin or association. 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 Falkenstern (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 many people are called Falkenstern?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Falkenstern on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.