2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Falkoff
A surname possibly derived from a place name, location, or occupational term related to falconry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Falkoff. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Falkoff 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Falkoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Falkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Falkoff
The surname Falkoff has its origins in Russia and Eastern Europe, dating back to the 18th century. It is derived from the Russian word "falka", which means "falcon" or "hawk". This name was likely given to someone who had a keen eye or a sharp hunting ability, similar to a bird of prey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Falkoff can be found in the Russian census records of the 1820s, where a family of Falkoffs was listed as residing in the city of Moscow. It is believed that this family may have been involved in falconry or hunting, which would explain the origin of their surname.
In the late 19th century, a man named Mikhail Falkoff (1845-1912) gained recognition as a prominent figure in the Russian legal system. He served as a judge in St. Petersburg and was known for his fair and impartial rulings.
Another notable individual with the Falkoff surname was Yuri Falkoff (1879-1941), a Russian artist and painter who was part of the avant-garde movement in the early 20th century. His works were heavily influenced by the Cubist style and are now displayed in various art museums around the world.
The name Falkoff also appeared in historical records in Poland and Ukraine, where variations of the spelling, such as "Falkov" and "Falkow", were common. One example is Anya Falkov (1901-1975), a Polish writer and novelist who gained popularity for her works depicting life in rural Poland during the early 20th century.
In the United States, a prominent figure with the Falkoff surname was Samuel Falkoff (1920-2005), a mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence. He worked at various prestigious institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Berkeley.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Ivan Falkoff (1892-1968), a Russian-born ballet dancer and choreographer who gained fame in the early 20th century. He performed with the Ballets Russes and later became the artistic director of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falkoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Falkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Falkoff 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 Falkoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 111
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Falkoff
Falkoff 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+6 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,451 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-21 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,730 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 3,451 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 19,730 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 Falkoff 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 | #126,765 | #146,495 | -15.6% |
| Count | 135 | 114 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Falkoff bearers went from 135 to 114 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 19,730 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #146,495.
FAQ
Falkoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Falkoff?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Falkoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Falkoff?
Falkoff ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Falkoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Falkoff.
Has Falkoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Falkoff went from 135 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 21 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Falkoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Falkoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (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 Falkoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Falkoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (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 Falkoff (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 Falkoff mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name, location, or occupational term related to falconry. 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 Falkoff (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 have the last name Falkoff?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Falkoff, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.