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

Folger, 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 Folger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Folger in America

Folger is the 13148th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Folger surname appeared 2,328 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 Folger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Folger 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 Folger

The surname Folger is believed to have originated in Germany, derived from the Old German word "folgen," which means "to follow." It's thought to have initially been an occupational name for a servant or attendant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Folger can be found in the town records of Naumburg, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. These records mention a family by the name of Folger residing in the area.

In the 15th century, the surname Folger began appearing in various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. It's believed that some Folgers immigrated to these regions during this time, possibly as merchants or tradesmen.

One notable figure bearing the Folger surname was Peter Folger, born in 1617 in Norwich, England. He was a Puritan surveyor and one of the early settlers of Nantucket, Massachusetts. His daughter, Abiah Folger, married into the famous Franklin family and became the mother of Benjamin Franklin.

Another prominent Folger was Henry Wicker Folger, born in 1857 in New York. He was an industrialist and founder of the Folger Coffee Company, which became one of the largest coffee roasters in the United States.

In the world of literature, we find Amory Folger, born in 1923 in Texas. He was a respected poet and author, known for his works such as "Newly Fallen" and "The Song of Amergin."

The Folger name is also associated with the renowned Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. Established in the early 20th century, it was founded by Henry Clay Folger and his wife, Emily Jordan Folger, who were avid collectors of Shakespeare's works and other literary treasures.

Another notable figure with the Folger surname was Mary Parker Folger, born in 1868 in Massachusetts. She was an influential educator and a pioneer in the field of adult education, helping to establish evening classes and continuing education programs.

While the Folger name has its origins in Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, with notable individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields, from literature and education to business and exploration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Folger

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!