2000
#10,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,741
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Finkel
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a spark or sparkle, likely from ironwork or goldsmithing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,863 Americans carry the last name Finkel. That puts it at #11,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Finkel 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
2.9K
1 in 119,719
Census rank
#11,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,497 bearers of the surname Finkel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finkel
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Finkel 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 Finkel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,325
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 79
- Two or more races2.1% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Finkel
Finkel 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
#10,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,060
+319 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 209 places
2020
#11,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,497
-563 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,476 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,696 | 2,741 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,487 | 3,060 | 1.04 | +319 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 209 places |
| 2020 | #11,963 | 2,497 | 0.84 | -563 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 1,476 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 Finkel 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 | #10,487 | #11,963 | -14.1% |
| Count | 3,060 | 2,497 | -18.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.84 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Finkel bearers went from 3,060 to 2,497 (-18.4% change). The surname moved down 1,476 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,487 to #11,963.
FAQ
Finkel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Finkel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,863 living Americans carry the surname Finkel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,719 residents.
How common is Finkel?
Finkel ranks #11,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,497 people with the surname Finkel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,863), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Finkel.
Has Finkel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Finkel went from 3,060 recorded bearers to 2,497. That is a decrease of 563 (-18.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,487 to #11,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Finkel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Finkel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Finkel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Finkel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Finkel (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 Finkel mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to a spark or sparkle, likely from ironwork or goldsmithing. 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 Finkel (0.84 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 last name Finkel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Finkel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.