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

Folts, 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 Folts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Folts in America

Folts is the 28263rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Folts surname appeared 846 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 Folts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Folts 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 Folts

The surname Folts is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It dates back to the early Middle Ages, around the 8th or 9th century AD. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "folt," which referred to a patch of land or a small farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Folts can be found in a medieval document from the town of Augsburg, dated around 1150 AD. This document mentions a farmer named Heinrich Folts, who owned a small plot of land just outside the city walls.

In the 13th century, the name Folts began to appear in various city records and tax registers across Bavaria and the surrounding regions. This suggests that the name had become more widespread and was associated with agricultural communities and landowners.

A notable figure bearing the Folts surname was Johann Folts, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 16th century (c. 1550-1610). His works, including several motets and organ pieces, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the development of sacred music in Germany.

In the 17th century, the Folts name was documented in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family of weavers and textile merchants carried the surname. One member, Hans Folts (1625-1692), was a prominent citizen and served as a city councilor.

Another historical figure with the Folts surname was Friedrich Folts (1790-1865), a German botanist and naturalist who conducted extensive research on the flora of the Bavarian Alps. His contributions to the study of alpine plants were recognized by the scientific community of his time.

As the Folts name spread across Germany and neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, including Foltz, Foltze, and Foltze. Some of these variants were adopted by different branches of the family or were the result of local dialects and scribal practices.

While the Folts surname has its roots in Germany, it has since been carried by individuals and families to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the bulk of the historical records and notable figures associated with this name can be traced back to its German origins and the agricultural communities of medieval and early modern Bavaria.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Folts

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

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

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

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