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

Finkel, 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 Finkel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finkel in America

Finkel is the 10487th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finkel surname appeared 3,060 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 Finkel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finkel 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 Finkel

The surname Finkel originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now parts of modern-day Germany and Austria. It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

The name Finkel is believed to have derived from the German word "Fink," which means "finch," a small songbird. It may have been initially used as a nickname or a descriptive surname, referring to someone who had a physical characteristic or mannerism reminiscent of a finch.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Finkel can be found in the Bähmen region of Germany (now part of the Czech Republic) in the 15th century. The name appeared in various historical records, including tax rolls and church registers, with spellings such as "Finckel" and "Finkl."

In the 16th century, the name Finkel was also documented in the town of Nürnberg, Germany, where a family of weavers and merchants bearing the name resided. Notable individuals from this time include Hans Finkel (c. 1505-1570), a wealthy merchant and landowner, and his son, Jakob Finkel (1542-1612), who was a respected lawyer and judge.

As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it was sometimes associated with place names like Finkenbach (meaning "finch's stream") or Finkenhain (meaning "finch's grove"). These place names likely influenced the development of the surname Finkel in certain areas.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Finkel name was found in various parts of Germany and Austria, with several notable figures emerging. Johann Finkel (1628-1694) was a renowned Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Jena, while Christoph Finkel (1675-1741) was a prominent architect and builder in the city of Dresden.

In the 19th century, the Finkel surname gained further recognition with individuals like Tobias Finkel (1810-1887), a German-American journalist and publisher who founded the influential German-language newspaper "Der Westbote" in St. Louis, Missouri.

Throughout history, the Finkel surname has been carried by many individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, scholars, businesspeople, and professionals. While the name originated in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finkel

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

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

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

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