2000
#5,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,436
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Franzen
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Franz, which is a form of Francis.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,317 Americans carry the last name Franzen. That puts it at #6,012 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,259 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Franzen 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.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,259
Census rank
#6,012
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,509 bearers of the surname Franzen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6012th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Franzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Franzen
The surname Franzen is of German origin, stemming from the region of Franconia in the southern German state of Bavaria. It first emerged during the medieval era, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Franzen is derived from the Germanic word "Franko," which means "a Frank" or "free man." It is believed that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to individuals who were of Frankish descent or those who had obtained their freedom from serfdom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Franzen can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this document, a certain "Henricus Franzen" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the records of the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic military order. A knight named "Johann Franzen" is documented as having participated in the Livonian Crusade, a military campaign carried out by the Teutonic Knights in the Baltic region.
During the Renaissance period, the Franzen name gained some prominence. Johann Franzen (1492-1556), a German humanist and scholar, was born in Nuremberg and became known for his translations of ancient Greek texts into Latin.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Franzen surname was Hans Franzen (1605-1673), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works, which included landscapes and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual with the Franzen name was Carl Franzen (1804-1881), a German poet and translator from Saxony. He is best known for his translations of works by authors such as William Shakespeare and Lord Byron.
During the 19th century, the Franzen name spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas through immigration. One example is Gustav Franzen (1808-1847), a Swedish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research in South America.
Throughout its history, the Franzen surname has been associated with various occupations, including scholars, artists, military figures, and scientists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Franzen
Among Census respondents with the surname Franzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Franzen 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 Franzen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 5,083
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 168
- Two or more races2.7% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 30
- Black or African American0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Franzen
Franzen 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
#6,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,621
+185 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 273 places
2020
#6,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,509
-112 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Up 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,827 | 5,436 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,100 | 5,621 | 1.91 | +185 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 273 places |
| 2020 | #6,012 | 5,509 | 1.84 | -112 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 88 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 Franzen 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 | #6,100 | #6,012 | 1.4% |
| Count | 5,621 | 5,509 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.84 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Franzen bearers went from 5,621 to 5,509 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,100 to #6,012.
FAQ
Franzen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Franzen?
Name Census estimates that about 6,317 living Americans carry the surname Franzen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,259 residents.
How common is Franzen?
Franzen ranks #6,012 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,509 people with the surname Franzen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,317), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Franzen.
Has Franzen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Franzen went from 5,621 recorded bearers to 5,509. That is a decrease of 112 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,100 to #6,012.
What does the Census say about the background of Franzen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Franzen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Franzen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (5,083 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Franzen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Franzen (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 Franzen mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Franz, which is a form of Francis. 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 Franzen (1.84 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 have the surname Franzen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.