2000
#8,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Frink
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of French goods or products.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,007 Americans carry the last name Frink. That puts it at #8,986 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,539 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frink 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
4.0K
1 in 85,539
Census rank
#8,986
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,494 bearers of the surname Frink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8986th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frink, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frink
The surname Frink originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be a variant of the Old English name Franca or Franca, derived from the Germanic "franko" which means "frank" or "free." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone of Frankish descent or a person who was not a serf or a bondsman.
The earliest recorded instances of the Frink surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions individuals with the name Franc and Franke residing in various counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Gloucestershire. Over time, the spelling evolved to Frink, Frinck, and other variations.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Frink surname appeared in various historical records and documents in England. For instance, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a William Frink from Cambridgeshire, and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 record a John Frink from Worcestershire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the Frink surname was Sir Thomas Frink (c. 1380-1448), a prominent English landowner and member of Parliament who represented Warwickshire in the House of Commons during the reign of Henry VI.
In the 16th century, the Frink surname was often associated with places like Frinkley, a hamlet in Northamptonshire, and Frinkford, a village in Oxfordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname.
Among the prominent figures with the Frink surname in later centuries were:
1. John Frink (1616-1675), an early Puritan settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
2. Samuel Frink (1635-1697), a colonial-era minister and author from Massachusetts.
3. Thomas Frink (1766-1846), an American Revolutionary War soldier and farmer from Connecticut.
4. Henry Clay Frink (1820-1884), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from West Virginia.
5. Horace Wemyss Frink (1846-1932), a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The Frink surname has remained relatively uncommon throughout its history, but it has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, from politics and law to religion and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frink
Among Census respondents with the surname Frink, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Frink 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 Frink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.5% · 2,360
- Black or African American24.1% · 841
- Two or more races4.4% · 152
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frink
Frink 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
#8,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,888
+134 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#8,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,494
-394 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 504 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,134 | 3,754 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,482 | 3,888 | 1.32 | +134 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #8,986 | 3,494 | 1.17 | -394 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 504 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 Frink 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 | #8,482 | #8,986 | -5.9% |
| Count | 3,888 | 3,494 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.17 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frink bearers went from 3,888 to 3,494 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 504 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,482 to #8,986.
FAQ
Frink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frink?
Name Census estimates that about 4,007 living Americans carry the surname Frink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,539 residents.
How common is Frink?
Frink ranks #8,986 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,494 people with the surname Frink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,007), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Frink.
Has Frink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frink went from 3,888 recorded bearers to 3,494. That is a decrease of 394 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,482 to #8,986.
What does the Census say about the background of Frink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frink, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Frink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (2,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.5%), Black (24.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Frink (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 Frink mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of French goods or products. 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 Frink (1.17 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 Frink?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.