2000
#5,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,605
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Folk
An English and German surname referring to people or the collective members of a family or nation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,087 Americans carry the last name Folk. That puts it at #6,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,309 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Folk 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
6.1K
1 in 56,309
Census rank
#6,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,308 bearers of the surname Folk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Folk, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Folk
Among Census respondents with the surname Folk, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Folk 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 Folk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 4,289
- Black or African American11.3% · 599
- Two or more races3.4% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Folk
Folk 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
#5,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,996
+391 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#6,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,308
-688 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 409 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,679 | 5,605 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,778 | 5,996 | 2.03 | +391 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #6,187 | 5,308 | 1.78 | -688 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 409 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 Folk 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 | #5,778 | #6,187 | -7.1% |
| Count | 5,996 | 5,308 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.78 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Folk bearers went from 5,996 to 5,308 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 409 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,778 to #6,187.
FAQ
Folk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Folk?
Name Census estimates that about 6,087 living Americans carry the surname Folk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,309 residents.
How common is Folk?
Folk ranks #6,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,308 people with the surname Folk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,087), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Folk.
Has Folk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Folk went from 5,996 recorded bearers to 5,308. That is a decrease of 688 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,778 to #6,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Folk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Folk, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Folk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (4,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Folk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Folk (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 Folk mean?
An English and German surname referring to people or the collective members of a family or nation. 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 Folk (1.78 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 Americans have the surname Folk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.