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

Folks, 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 Folks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Folks in America

Folks is the 12861st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Folks surname appeared 2,394 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 Folks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Folks 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 Folks

The surname FOLKS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "folc," which meant "people" or "nation." This name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived among or served the common people.

The earliest recorded use of the surname FOLKS dates back to the 13th century. It appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England, where it is spelled as "Folke."

In the 14th century, the surname FOLKS can be found in various records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it is listed as "Folkes." This suggests that the name was well-established in various regions of England during this period.

One notable early bearer of the surname was John Folks, a merchant from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 14th century. Records show that he was involved in trade with various European countries.

Another significant figure was Sir William Folks, a knight and landowner who lived in Gloucestershire, England, in the 15th century. He is mentioned in the Inquisitions Post Mortem of 1467, a record of land holdings and inheritances.

During the 16th century, the surname FOLKS appeared in various forms, such as "Folkes" and "Foulkes." One notable individual from this period was Edward Foulkes, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Salisbury in 1563.

In the 17th century, the surname FOLKS continued to be prominent in England. One notable bearer was Thomas Folks, a scholar and writer who was born in Warwickshire in 1628 and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, the FOLKS surname can be found in various regions of England, as well as in the American colonies. One notable figure was Benjamin Folks, a farmer and Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia, who was born in 1746 and fought in several battles against the British forces.

As the centuries progressed, the FOLKS surname spread to various parts of the world, carried by immigrants and settlers from England. Today, it can be found in numerous countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Folks

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

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

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

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