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

Firkus, 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 Firkus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Firkus in America

Firkus is the 37691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Firkus surname appeared 590 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Firkus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Firkus 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 Firkus

The surname Firkus has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Silesia, which is now located in modern-day Poland. The name is derived from the German word "Firke," which means "a small, agile person," suggesting that the name may have originally been a nickname for someone with those physical characteristics.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Firkus can be found in the records of the town of Breslau (now Wrocław) in Silesia, where a man named Hans Firkus was mentioned as a resident in 1598. This indicates that the name had already established itself in the region by the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Firkus name appeared in various church records and local documents throughout Silesia and other parts of what is now Germany and Poland. For instance, a man named Johann Firkus was recorded as a landowner in the village of Neudorf (now Nowa Wieś Lęborska) in Pomerania in 1632.

The Firkus name has also been associated with a few notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann Christian Firkus, a German composer and organist who lived from 1738 to 1806. He served as the organist at the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Görlitz, a town in Saxony, and composed several works for the organ and other instruments.

Another individual with the Firkus surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Firkus, a German writer and journalist who lived from 1808 to 1886. He was born in Breslau and gained recognition for his literary works, including novels and articles published in various German periodicals of the time.

In the late 19th century, a man named Max Firkus (1858-1931) gained prominence as a successful businessman and industrialist in Breslau. He founded the Firkus Machinery Works, which produced agricultural machinery and equipment, and played a significant role in the city's industrial development.

As the Firkus family spread across various regions of Europe, the name underwent some variations in spelling, such as Firckus, Firckuss, and Firkouss. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciation differences.

While the Firkus surname may not have achieved widespread fame or recognition, it has persisted throughout history, carrying the legacy of its German origins and the stories of the individuals who bore this name across different eras and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Firkus

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

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

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

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