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

Franch, 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 Franch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Franch in America

Franch is the 85659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Franch surname appeared 218 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 Franch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Franch 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 Franch

The surname FRANCH is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "franc," meaning "free" or "frank." It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name referring to a person of free or noble birth.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas of Normandy and Picardy. Historical records from this period, such as local charters and tax rolls, contain variations of the spelling, including "Franc," "Le Franc," and "Franque."

One notable early bearer of the name was Renaud Franch, a knight from Normandy who participated in the Third Crusade under the command of King Richard I of England in the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, a census-like record compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests that some members of the family had migrated from France to England by this time.

During the 14th century, the name was associated with several prominent individuals. Jean Franch (c. 1310-1380) was a notable French scholar and theologian who served as the Chancellor of the University of Paris. Meanwhile, in England, Sir William Franch (c. 1325-1395) was a military commander who fought alongside the Black Prince during the Hundred Years' War.

The 16th century saw the emergence of a notable family of printers and publishers in Paris, the Franch family. François Franch (c. 1515-1580) was a renowned printer and publisher who specialized in producing works of classical literature and philosophy.

Another notable bearer of the name was the 17th-century French mathematician and philosopher René Franch (1623-1662), who made significant contributions to the development of analytical geometry and the foundations of calculus.

In the 18th century, the name was associated with several prominent figures in the arts and sciences. Jean-Baptiste Franch (1706-1782) was a French painter and engraver who is known for his detailed etchings of landscapes and architectural scenes. Pierre-Nicolas Franch (1719-1799) was a French botanist and naturalist who made important contributions to the study of plant classification and taxonomy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Franch

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

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

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

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