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

Falker, 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 Falker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Falker in America

Falker is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Falker surname appeared 194 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 Falker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Falker 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 Falker

The surname Falker is of English origin, with its earliest known records dating back to the late 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English word "falcor," meaning "falcon keeper" or "falconer." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were individuals employed in the profession of caring for and training falcons, which were highly prized birds used for hunting by the nobility and aristocracy.

Records from the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, compiled in 1273, mention a certain John le Fauconer, whose name is likely an earlier spelling variation of Falker. The Falker surname is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as "Faukener."

In the 14th century, the Falker surname appears to have been concentrated primarily in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire, with some instances also recorded in the neighboring counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire. This distribution suggests that the name may have originated in the West Midlands region of England.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Falker was William Falker, who was born in Worcestershire around 1380. He is mentioned in the court records of the Manor of Bishampton in 1412 as a tenant farmer.

Another notable bearer of the Falker name was John Falker, born in Gloucestershire in 1518. He was a skilled falconer in the service of Sir Thomas Seymour, the Lord Privy Seal and brother of Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Falker surname began to spread more widely across England, with records showing families bearing this name in counties such as Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire. One prominent individual was Richard Falker, born in Oxfordshire in 1612, who served as a captain in the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, a notable figure was William Falker (1715-1792), a successful merchant and landowner from Buckinghamshire. His son, also named William Falker (1745-1823), was a respected scholar and author who wrote several treatises on falconry and the care of birds of prey.

Another significant bearer of the Falker name was Elizabeth Falker (1804-1881), born in Northamptonshire. She was a pioneering educator and founded one of the first girls' boarding schools in the county, which remained operational until the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Falker

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

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

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

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