2000
#31,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Rare Last name
Forkner
A surname derived from a topographic reference, likely meaning someone who lived near a fork in a road or river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,069 Americans carry the last name Forkner. That puts it at #27,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 320,631 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Forkner 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
1.1K
1 in 320,631
Census rank
#27,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
932
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 932 bearers of the surname Forkner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Forkner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Forkner
The surname Forkner originated in Germany, likely in the 15th or 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Förken," which referred to a type of pitchfork used in agricultural work. The name may have been given to someone who worked as a farmer or used this particular tool.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Forkenbeck, located in Lower Saxony, Germany. This town's name, which dates back to the 13th century, is thought to have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname Forkner.
In the 16th century, a man named Hans Forkner was documented as living in the city of Cologne, Germany. He was a blacksmith by trade and is mentioned in records from the Cologne guild of metalworkers in 1542.
During the 17th century, the name Forkner appeared in various German church records and census documents. In 1678, a man named Johann Forkner was listed as a resident of the town of Hannoversch Münden, in what is now Lower Saxony.
As many German families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Forkner began to spread. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich Forkner, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-1700s and became a prosperous farmer.
In the 19th century, a man named Wilhelm Forkner (1822-1898) gained recognition as a prominent German architect. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities across Germany.
Another individual of note was Heinrich Forkner (1860-1932), a German-born painter and illustrator who spent much of his career working in the United States. He is known for his landscapes and portraiture.
The Forkner surname can also be found in various historical records from other European countries, such as France and England, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Forkner
Among Census respondents with the surname Forkner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Forkner 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 Forkner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 825
- Two or more races4.6% · 43
- Black or African American3.3% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Forkner
Forkner 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
#37,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 595
-110 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 6,316 places
2020
#27,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 932
+337 bearers (+56.6%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Up 10,041 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,126 | 705 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #37,442 | 595 | 0.20 | -110 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 6,316 places |
| 2020 | #27,401 | 932 | 0.31 | +337 bearers (+56.6%) | Up 10,041 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 Forkner 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 | #37,442 | #27,401 | 26.8% |
| Count | 595 | 932 | 56.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.31 | 55.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Forkner bearers went from 595 to 932 (+56.6% change). The surname moved up 10,041 positions in the national ranking, going from #37,442 to #27,401.
FAQ
Forkner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Forkner?
Name Census estimates that about 1,069 living Americans carry the surname Forkner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 320,631 residents.
How common is Forkner?
Forkner ranks #27,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 932 people with the surname Forkner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,069), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Forkner.
Has Forkner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Forkner went from 595 recorded bearers to 932. That is an increase of 337 (+56.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #37,442 to #27,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Forkner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Forkner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Forkner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Forkner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (3.3%). 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 Forkner (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 Forkner mean?
A surname derived from a topographic reference, likely meaning someone who lived near a fork in a road or river. 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 Forkner (0.31 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 people have the last name Forkner?
Find out how many people have the surname Forkner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.