2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Faltersack
A German surname derived from the dialect word "falter" meaning butterfly or moth, and "sack" meaning bag or sack.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Faltersack. 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 Faltersack 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 Faltersack 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 Faltersack, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faltersack
The surname FALTERSACK originated in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, likely in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th centuries. It is believed to derive from the Old German words "falter" meaning a butterfly or moth, and "sack" referring to a sack or bag.
One theory is that the name may have initially referred to an occupation involving the collection or trade of silkworm cocoons, which were sometimes referred to as "Faltersäcke" or butterfly bags. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname for someone who carried a sack or pouch adorned with butterfly motifs.
The earliest known record of the FALTERSACK name appears in a land registry from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, dated 1387, where a certain Hans Faltersack is listed as a landowner. Another early reference is found in the archives of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Konrad Faltersack is mentioned in a trade document from 1426.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Matthias Faltersack, a Lutheran minister and theologian from Saxony, who lived from around 1520 to 1589. He was known for his sermons and writings defending the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, the FALTERSACK name was also found in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One record from 1671 mentions a Johann Faltersack, a farmer and landowner in the village of Strehlen (now part of Poland).
Another individual of note was Christoph Faltersack, a German-born artist and engraver who lived from 1677 to 1737. He worked in various cities across Europe, including Vienna, Prague, and Paris, and is best known for his intricate etchings and engravings depicting landscapes and architectural scenes.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Karl Faltersack, a German-Austrian historian and archivist who lived from 1817 to 1888. He worked as the head archivist for the city of Vienna and published several works on the history of Austria and the Habsburg Empire.
While the FALTERSACK name was most prevalent in German-speaking regions, it also spread to other parts of Europe through migration and trade. Over time, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Faltersack, Faltersak, and Falterseck.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faltersack
Among Census respondents with the surname Faltersack, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Faltersack 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 Faltersack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 103
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faltersack
Faltersack 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,617 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,617 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 289 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 Faltersack 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 | #152,628 | #152,339 | 0.2% |
| Count | 107 | 106 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faltersack bearers went from 107 to 106 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #152,339.
FAQ
Faltersack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faltersack?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Faltersack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Faltersack?
Faltersack 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 Faltersack. 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 Faltersack.
Has Faltersack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faltersack went from 107 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Faltersack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faltersack, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (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 Faltersack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faltersack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Black (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 Faltersack (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 Faltersack mean?
A German surname derived from the dialect word "falter" meaning butterfly or moth, and "sack" meaning bag or sack. 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 Faltersack (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 surname Faltersack?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.