2000
#1,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.91
Uncommon Last name
Funk
A German occupational surname referring to a spark or someone who creates sparks, such as a blacksmith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,774 Americans carry the last name Funk. That puts it at #1,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,802 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Funk 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
27K
1 in 12,802
Census rank
#1,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,348 bearers of the surname Funk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Funk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Funk
The surname FUNK is of Germanic origin and derives from the Middle High German word "funke" meaning "spark" or "flame". It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, referring to an individual who worked as a spark-maker, possibly a blacksmith or someone involved in metalworking.
The earliest recorded instances of the FUNK surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and the Rhineland. In some areas, the name was also spelled as "Funcke" or "Funck".
One of the earliest known records of the FUNK surname appears in the "Bäuerliche Niederlassungen im Elsass" (Rural Settlements in Alsace) from 1347, where a certain "Henni Funcke" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Erstein in present-day France.
During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the FUNK surname gained prominence in various parts of Europe. Notable individuals bearing this name include Hans Funk (c. 1495-1550), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who was a close associate of Martin Luther.
In the 17th century, the FUNK surname spread to other regions, including the Netherlands. One of the earliest recorded instances in the Netherlands is Jan Funk, a merchant from Amsterdam who was born in 1612.
As the FUNK surname spread across Europe, it also found its way to England and Scotland. One of the earliest recorded instances in England is Robert Funk, who was born in 1655 in the village of Hartfield, East Sussex.
Another notable figure with the FUNK surname was Johann Funk (1678-1744), a German-born Mennonite bishop and hymnwriter who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Mennonite community in North America.
In the 19th century, the FUNK surname gained prominence in the United States, particularly in the state of Pennsylvania, where many German immigrants had settled. One of the most well-known individuals with this surname was Isaac Kaufmann Funk (1839-1912), an American publisher and lexicographer who co-founded the publishing firm Funk & Wagnalls Company, known for publishing the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Funk
Among Census respondents with the surname Funk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Funk 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 Funk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 21,577
- Two or more races3.2% · 737
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 676
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 188
- Black or African American0.5% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Funk
Funk 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
#1,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,419
+387 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 8.28
Rank movement Down 108 places
2020
#1,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,348
-1,071 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 7.81
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,351 | 24,032 | 8.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,459 | 24,419 | 8.28 | +387 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 108 places |
| 2020 | #1,494 | 23,348 | 7.81 | -1,071 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 35 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 Funk 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 | #1,459 | #1,494 | -2.4% |
| Count | 24,419 | 23,348 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.28 | 7.81 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Funk bearers went from 24,419 to 23,348 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,459 to #1,494.
FAQ
Funk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Funk?
Name Census estimates that about 26,774 living Americans carry the surname Funk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,802 residents.
How common is Funk?
Funk ranks #1,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,348 people with the surname Funk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Funk.
Has Funk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Funk went from 24,419 recorded bearers to 23,348. That is a decrease of 1,071 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,459 to #1,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Funk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Funk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Funk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (21,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Funk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Funk (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 Funk mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a spark or someone who creates sparks, such as a blacksmith or metalworker. 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 Funk (7.81 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 Americans have the surname Funk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.