2000
#74,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Franch
A habitational surname derived from a place name in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 320 Americans carry the last name Franch. That puts it at #74,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,071,107 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Franch 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Franch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
320
1 in 1,071,107
Census rank
#74,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
279
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 279 bearers of the surname Franch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 74639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Franch, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Black (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Franch
Among Census respondents with the surname Franch, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Black (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Franch 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 Franch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino19.4% · 54
- Black or African American6.8% · 19
- Two or more races3.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Franch
Franch 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
#85,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
-22 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 10,702 places
2020
#74,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 279
+61 bearers (+28.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 11,020 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #74,957 | 240 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,659 | 218 | 0.07 | -22 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 10,702 places |
| 2020 | #74,639 | 279 | 0.09 | +61 bearers (+28.0%) | Up 11,020 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 Franch 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 | #85,659 | #74,639 | 12.9% |
| Count | 218 | 279 | 28.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 33.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Franch bearers went from 218 to 279 (+28.0% change). The surname moved up 11,020 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,659 to #74,639.
FAQ
Franch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Franch?
Name Census estimates that about 320 living Americans carry the surname Franch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,071,107 residents.
How common is Franch?
Franch ranks #74,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 279 people with the surname Franch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (320), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Franch.
Has Franch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Franch went from 218 recorded bearers to 279. That is an increase of 61 (+28.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #85,659 to #74,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Franch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Franch, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.4%) and Black (6.8%). 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 Franch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Franch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.2%), Hispanic (19.4%), Black (6.8%). 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 Franch (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 Franch mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in France. 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 Franch (0.09 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 share the surname Franch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.