2000
#8,811
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Finke
A German toponymic surname derived from places called Fink or Finke, likely referring to the finch bird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,781 Americans carry the last name Finke. That puts it at #9,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finke 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
3.8K
1 in 90,652
Census rank
#9,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,297 bearers of the surname Finke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Finke
The surname Finke originates from Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "finko," meaning "finch," suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have been associated with finches or related bird species.
One of the earliest documented references to the Finke surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the year 1195. The entry mentions a certain "Conradus Finke" as a witness to a land transaction.
The Finke surname also appears in several other medieval German records, including the Liber Censuum, a tax register from the city of Cologne in the 14th century, which lists several individuals with the surname Finke residing in the city at that time.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the Finke surname was Johann Finke (1492-1557), a German historian and professor at the University of Ingolstadt. He is known for his work on the history of the Council of Constance, a significant event in the history of the Catholic Church.
Another notable individual with the Finke surname was Heinrich Finke (1855-1938), a German historian and priest who specialized in the study of the Renaissance period. He authored several works on the history of the papacy and the Church during that era.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Finke (1832-1901) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstagssgebäude (Imperial Diet Building) and the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery).
The Finke surname has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Finkenherd and Finkenhain, which may have influenced the development of the surname in certain regions.
While the Finke surname is most commonly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and other continents through migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finke
Among Census respondents with the surname Finke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Finke 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 Finke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 3,123
- Two or more races2.2% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finke
Finke 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
#9,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,394
-29 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 767 places
2020
#9,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,297
-97 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,811 | 3,423 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,578 | 3,394 | 1.15 | -29 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 767 places |
| 2020 | #9,442 | 3,297 | 1.10 | -97 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 136 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 Finke 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 | #9,578 | #9,442 | 1.4% |
| Count | 3,394 | 3,297 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.10 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finke bearers went from 3,394 to 3,297 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,578 to #9,442.
FAQ
Finke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finke?
Name Census estimates that about 3,781 living Americans carry the surname Finke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,652 residents.
How common is Finke?
Finke ranks #9,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,297 people with the surname Finke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Finke.
Has Finke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finke went from 3,394 recorded bearers to 3,297. That is a decrease of 97 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,578 to #9,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Finke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finke, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.2%) and Hispanic (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 Finke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (3,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%), Hispanic (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 Finke (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 Finke mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from places called Fink or Finke, likely referring to the finch bird. 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 Finke (1.10 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 Finke?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Finke, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.