2000
#13,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Finck
A German occupational surname referring to a finch catcher or breeder, or a nickname for a lively person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,238 Americans carry the last name Finck. That puts it at #14,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finck 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
2.2K
1 in 153,152
Census rank
#14,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,952 bearers of the surname Finck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finck
The surname Finck is an ancient German name that has its origins in the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "finc," which translates to "finch," a small songbird. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for a birdcatcher or someone who raised and traded finches.
The earliest known record of the name Finck can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Bavaria, a state in southeastern Germany. In a manuscript from 1187, a person named "Henricus Finck" is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Ingolstadt.
Another early reference to the name Finck can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburg, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. In a document dated 1253, a knight named "Rudolfus Finck" is listed among the vassals of the Margrave of Brandenburg.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Finck was Hermann Finck, a German composer and theorist who lived from 1527 to 1558. He was a prominent figure in the Renaissance era and made significant contributions to the development of music theory and composition.
In the 17th century, a Dutch artist named Philips Finck (1632-1697) gained recognition for his landscape paintings, which depicted scenes from the Netherlands and Italy. His works are now housed in various museums across Europe.
Another notable person with the surname Finck was Johann Friedrich Finck (1718-1792), a German theologian and philosopher. He was a professor at the University of Göttingen and wrote extensively on topics such as natural law and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the name Finck was also present in other parts of Europe. For instance, Karl Finck (1814-1892) was a German-born architect who worked in Russia and designed several notable buildings in St. Petersburg, including the Mikhailovsky Palace.
While the name Finck has its roots in Germany, it has also been found in other regions due to migration and population movements over the centuries. For example, there are records of individuals with the surname Finck in the United States, particularly in areas with significant German immigration, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finck
Among Census respondents with the surname Finck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Finck 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 Finck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 1,835
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 53
- Two or more races2.2% · 42
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finck
Finck 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
#13,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,237
+117 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 344 places
2020
#14,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
-285 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,089 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,207 | 2,120 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,551 | 2,237 | 0.76 | +117 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 344 places |
| 2020 | #14,640 | 1,952 | 0.65 | -285 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 1,089 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 Finck 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 | #13,551 | #14,640 | -8.0% |
| Count | 2,237 | 1,952 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.65 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finck bearers went from 2,237 to 1,952 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 1,089 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,551 to #14,640.
FAQ
Finck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finck?
Name Census estimates that about 2,238 living Americans carry the surname Finck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,152 residents.
How common is Finck?
Finck ranks #14,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,952 people with the surname Finck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Finck.
Has Finck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finck went from 2,237 recorded bearers to 1,952. That is a decrease of 285 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,551 to #14,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Finck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finck, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Finck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (1,835 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Finck (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 Finck mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a finch catcher or breeder, or a nickname for a lively person. 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 Finck (0.65 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 common is the surname Finck?
Find out how many people have the surname Finck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.