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

Fankhauser, 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 Fankhauser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fankhauser in America

Fankhauser is the 18116th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fankhauser surname appeared 1,537 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fankhauser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fankhauser 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 Fankhauser

The surname Fankhauser is of German origin, originating in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "Fank" and "Haus," which together translate to "house of capture" or "hunting lodge." This suggests that the name's origins may be linked to families who lived in hunting lodges or houses associated with hunting activities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fankhauser can be found in the 15th century German manuscript known as the "Codex Diplomaticus." This document mentions a certain "Hans Fankhauser" from the region of present-day Bavaria.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various church records and municipal documents across southern Germany and parts of Switzerland. For example, a "Georg Fankhauser" was recorded as a resident of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau in 1542.

During the 17th century, the Fankhauser name spread to other parts of Europe, including Austria and the Netherlands. One notable individual from this period was Johann Fankhauser (1628-1693), a German clockmaker and inventor who is credited with developing one of the earliest known mechanical calculators.

In the 18th century, the Fankhauser family gained prominence in the Swiss city of Basel, where several members were successful merchants and bankers. One of the most renowned individuals from this lineage was Johann Rudolf Fankhauser (1738-1804), a wealthy banker and philanthropist who contributed significantly to the city's cultural and educational institutions.

Another notable figure bearing the Fankhauser name was Philipp Fankhauser (1819-1887), a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as the President of the Swiss National Council, the lower house of the Swiss Federal Assembly, from 1874 to 1875.

As the Fankhauser family continued to spread across Europe and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Fankhäuser, Fankhauser, and Fankhouser, among others. These variations reflect the regional linguistic differences and dialects found within the German-speaking areas where the name originated and later settled.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fankhauser

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

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

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

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