2000
#236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114,859
First available Census row
Per 100,000 42.58
Common Last name
Franklin
An English occupational surname referring to a landowner or freeholder, derived from the Middle English frankelin, meaning "freeman."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132,284 Americans carry the last name Franklin. That puts it at #264 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 38.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,591 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Franklin 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 Franklin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132K
1 in 2,591
Census rank
#264
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
38.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115,358 bearers of the surname Franklin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 38.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 264th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Franklin, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Franklin
The surname Franklin originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English words "franc" and "lēah," which together mean "meadow of the freeman." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived or worked on a meadow owned by a freeman or someone of free status.
The earliest known recording of the surname Franklin is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it is listed as "William le Frankelein." This spelling variation highlights the name's evolution over time. Other early spellings include "Franchelyn," "Francklin," and "Franckeleyn."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landowners in England, there are several references to individuals with the name "Francus" or "Francus Homo," which could be considered early versions of the Franklin surname.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Franklin was John Franklin, born around 1330. He was a prominent English judge and Chief Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of King Edward III.
Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) was a famous English naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions. He was the lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) from 1836 to 1843.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the most renowned figures in American history. He was a polymath, scientist, inventor, writer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), known as the "Queen of Soul," was an American singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was crucial in the discovery of the structure of DNA, although her contributions were largely unrecognized during her lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Franklin
Among Census respondents with the surname Franklin, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Franklin 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 Franklin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.2% · 60,196
- Black or African American37.6% · 43,333
- Two or more races5.1% · 5,858
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,198
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 908
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 865
Timeline
Historical Census data for Franklin
Franklin 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
#251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120,621
+5,762 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 40.89
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,358
-5,263 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 38.59
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #236 | 114,859 | 42.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #251 | 120,621 | 40.89 | +5,762 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #264 | 115,358 | 38.59 | -5,263 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 13 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 Franklin 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 | #251 | #264 | -5.2% |
| Count | 120,621 | 115,358 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 40.89 | 38.59 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Franklin bearers went from 120,621 to 115,358 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #251 to #264.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Franklin
FAQ
Franklin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Franklin?
Name Census estimates that about 132,284 living Americans carry the surname Franklin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,591 residents.
How common is Franklin?
Franklin ranks #264 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 38.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 39 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115,358 people with the surname Franklin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132,284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 38.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 38.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 39 of them to have the surname Franklin.
Has Franklin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Franklin went from 120,621 recorded bearers to 115,358. That is a decrease of 5,263 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #251 to #264.
What does the Census say about the background of Franklin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Franklin, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Franklin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (60,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Franklin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.2%), Black (37.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Franklin (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 Franklin mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a landowner or freeholder, derived from the Middle English frankelin, meaning "freeman." 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 Franklin (38.59 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 are called Franklin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Franklin is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.