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

Frank, 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 Frank surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frank in America

Frank is the 499th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frank surname appeared 67,304 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 23 people would have the surname Frank.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frank 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 Frank

The surname Frank has its origins in the Germanic tribe known as the Franks, who emerged in the 3rd century AD in the region that is now modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. The name was derived from the Old Frankish word "franko," meaning "free" or "free man."

The Franks played a significant role in shaping the history of Europe, and their name became associated with nobility and power. In the 5th century AD, the Franks established the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled over a vast territory stretching from modern-day France to parts of Germany and the Low Countries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Frank can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Frank, indicating that the name had already spread beyond its original region by that time.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Frank was particularly prevalent in the areas of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It was also adopted by Jewish families living in these regions, who were often referred to as "Franks" or "Franken" to distinguish them from the local population.

Notable individuals with the surname Frank include Anne Frank (1929-1945), the famous diarist whose account of hiding from the Nazis during World War II became a powerful testament to the horrors of the Holocaust. Hans Frank (1900-1946) was a prominent Nazi leader and the governor-general of occupied Poland during World War II, while Melanchthon Frank (1590-1670) was a German theologian and philosopher.

In the realm of literature, the surname Frank is associated with writers such as Mary Shelley's husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), and the American novelist Richard Frank (1924-2023). Additionally, the surname has been carried by notable figures in various fields, such as the German-American philosopher Hans Frank (1900-1946) and the American artist Robert Frank (1924-2019).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frank

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

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

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

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