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

Fonk, 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 Fonk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fonk in America

Fonk is the 77012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fonk surname appeared 249 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 Fonk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fonk 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 Fonk

The surname Fonk is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the early to mid-18th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "funke," meaning "spark" or "sparkle," which could suggest that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname or as a reference to someone's occupation or personality trait.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fonk surname can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Wölfersheim, Hesse, Germany, where a Johann Fonk was baptized in 1751. This suggests that the name may have been established in the Hesse region by this time.

Another early reference to the Fonk surname comes from the town of Simmern in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, where a Johannes Fonk was recorded as a resident in 1784. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by the late 18th century.

Notable individuals with the surname Fonk throughout history include Johann Fonk, a German painter and printmaker who was active in the late 18th century. His works can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.

Another notable figure was Carl Fonk, a German composer and music theorist who lived from 1828 to 1892. He is best known for his contributions to the development of polyphonic music and his works on music theory.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Fonk surname is that of Johann Fonk, a German immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century. He settled in Berks County and worked as a farmer, establishing one of the earliest Fonk families in America.

Heinrich Fonk, a German-American artist and illustrator, was born in 1865 and is known for his detailed illustrations of wildlife and natural scenes. His works were widely published in magazines and books in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Lastly, August Fonk, born in 1867 in Germany, was a prominent architect who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century. He designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the former Bronx Opera House and the Riverside Church.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fonk

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

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

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

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