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

Folk, 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 Folk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Folk in America

Folk is the 5778th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Folk surname appeared 5,996 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Folk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Folk 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 Folk

The surname FOLK has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "folc," which means "people" or "nation." The name likely referred to someone who was part of a particular community or tribe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FOLK can be found in the Domesday Book, a record of landowners compiled in 1086 for King William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Godric Folc in Warwickshire.

During the 13th century, the name FOLK appeared in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a William Folc was mentioned in 1273. The surname was also present in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, with a reference to a Thomas Folc.

In the 15th century, the name FOLK was associated with several notable individuals. John Folc (1412-1474) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, known for his charitable contributions. Another individual named Robert Folc (1438-1501) was a respected scholar and theologian at the University of Oxford.

As time passed, the name FOLK underwent various spelling variations, such as Folke, Faulke, and Faulk. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and variations in record-keeping practices.

One of the most famous bearers of the FOLK surname was Martin Folkes (1690-1754), an English mathematician, astronomer, and antiquarian. He was elected as the President of the Royal Society in 1741 and was widely respected for his contributions to scientific research and the preservation of historical artifacts.

Another notable figure with the FOLK surname was John Faulk (1913-1990), an American humorist, storyteller, and civil rights advocate. He gained recognition for his radio and television appearances, as well as his efforts to promote free speech and combat censorship.

In the literary world, Philip Faulk (1926-2016) was an American poet and professor who published several volumes of poetry, including "The Underwood Girl" and "Barn Weights and Breath." His works explored themes of nature, family, and the human experience.

The FOLK surname also has connections to various place names in England, such as Folkestone in Kent, which derives from the Old English words "folc" and "stān," meaning "people's stone" or "people's place."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Folk

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Folk, 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!