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

Franek, 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 Franek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Franek in America

Franek is the 41959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Franek surname appeared 518 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 Franek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Franek 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 Franek

The surname FRANEK is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Polish personal name "Franek," which was a diminutive form of the name "Franciszek," the Polish equivalent of the name "Francis."

The name FRANEK was particularly common in the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland, where it was often used as a nickname or a shortened version of the full name. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the tax registers and parish records of these regions, dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the 17th century, the FRANEK surname gained prominence in the town of Krakow, where it was associated with a family of merchants and artisans. One notable figure from this period was Jan FRANEK (1620-1687), a renowned goldsmith whose works were highly sought after by the Polish nobility.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the FRANEK surname spread across various parts of modern-day Poland, as well as to areas that were then part of the Prussian and Austro-Hungarian Empires. Among the notable individuals with this surname were Józef FRANEK (1781-1847), a Polish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, and Marcin FRANEK (1842-1912), a renowned architect responsible for designing several landmark buildings in the city of Lviv, Ukraine.

In the 20th century, the FRANEK surname continued to be prominent in various fields, including academia and the arts. One notable figure was Wacław FRANEK (1910-1994), a Polish linguist and professor at the University of Warsaw, who made significant contributions to the study of the Polish language.

Another important figure was Józef FRANEK (1928-2010), a celebrated Polish painter and sculptor whose works explored themes of mythology and folklore. His unique style and innovative techniques earned him international recognition, and his works can be found in numerous art museums and galleries around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Franek

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

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

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

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