2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Farkus
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a Hungarian place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Farkus. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farkus 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Farkus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farkus
The surname Farkus is of Hungarian origin, first appearing in records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Hungarian word "farkas," which means "wolf." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname or a reference to a person's physical characteristics or personality traits.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in a 1467 census record from the village of Szombathely, where a man named Janos Farkus was listed as a resident. In the following century, a 1592 tax record from the town of Debrecen mentions a Mihaly Farkus, who was likely a landowner or a member of the local gentry.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Farkus name began to spread across various regions of the Hungarian Kingdom, including Transylvania and the territories that are now part of modern-day Romania and Slovakia. Notable individuals from this period include Istvan Farkus (1595-1667), a Protestant minister and author who was known for his religious writings and sermons.
In the 18th century, the Farkus name appeared in several military records, indicating that members of the family had served in the armies of the Habsburg Empire. One such figure was Janos Farkus (1712-1787), a cavalry officer who fought in the War of the Austrian Succession and later became a landowner in the region of Transdanubia.
As the 19th century dawned, the Farkus name continued to be found throughout Hungary and its neighboring territories. Antal Farkus (1810-1892) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Hungarian Diet (parliament) and was involved in the revolutionary movements of 1848-1849.
Another notable figure from this period was Béla Farkus (1839-1916), a renowned botanist and professor at the University of Budapest. His extensive research on the flora of the Carpathian Mountains and his contributions to the field of plant taxonomy earned him widespread recognition.
The 20th century saw the Farkus name spread even further, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields. For instance, Gyula Farkus (1917-2003) was a highly respected artist and sculptor whose works are displayed in museums and public spaces across Hungary.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farkus
Among Census respondents with the surname Farkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Farkus 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 Farkus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 99
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farkus
Farkus 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,220 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 7,220 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Farkus 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farkus bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Farkus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farkus?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Farkus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Farkus?
Farkus ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Farkus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Farkus.
Has Farkus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farkus went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Farkus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Farkus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farkus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Farkus (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 Farkus mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a Hungarian place name. 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 Farkus (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 Farkus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.