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

Finkle, 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 Finkle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finkle in America

Finkle is the 15520th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finkle surname appeared 1,886 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 Finkle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finkle 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 Finkle

The surname Finkle is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "finken," which means "finch," referring to the small songbird. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who had a particular affinity for finches or who exhibited bird-like qualities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Finkele" is mentioned in a record from the year 1292. This suggests that the name was already established in the German-speaking areas during the 13th century.

The Finkle surname has long been associated with various regions in Germany, including Bavaria, Hesse, and the Rhineland. It is also found in areas that were once part of the Holy Roman Empire, such as modern-day Austria and Switzerland.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Finkle was Johann Finkle, a Lutheran theologian and reformer born in Alsace in 1515. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement and authored several influential works on theology.

Another historical figure with the Finkle surname was Hans Finkle, a German artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his intricate etchings and woodcuts depicting religious and mythological scenes.

Centuries later, in the 19th century, a prominent Finkle was the German composer and music theorist Carl Finkle (1808-1892). He wrote numerous operas, symphonies, and chamber works, contributing to the development of Romantic-era music.

During the medieval and early modern periods, the Finkle name was also found in various spellings and variations, such as Finkel, Finkler, and Finkelman, reflecting regional linguistic differences and scribal practices.

In some instances, the Finkle surname may have been associated with specific place names or locations, as was common with many German surnames. However, the exact origins of such place-based connections remain uncertain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finkle

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

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

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

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