2000
#11,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,638
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Funke
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "funke," meaning "spark" or "someone who created sparks."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,876 Americans carry the last name Funke. That puts it at #11,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,177 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Funke 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
2.9K
1 in 119,177
Census rank
#11,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,508 bearers of the surname Funke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Funke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Funke
The surname Funke is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "funke," which means "spark" or "flash of light." This name was likely given as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who worked with fire, such as a blacksmith or a glassblower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Funke can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Johannes Funke was mentioned in a document dated 1562. This document was a record of guild members, suggesting that Johannes Funke was a member of a trade guild, possibly related to metalworking or glassmaking.
Another early reference to the name Funke can be found in the records of the town of Eisenach, Germany, where a family by the name of Funke resided in the late 16th century. These records indicate that the Funke family was involved in the local wine trade, which was a significant industry in the region at the time.
In the 17th century, the surname Funke began to spread beyond the borders of Germany. One notable individual bearing this name was Hans Funke, a Dutch painter who lived from 1597 to 1659. He was known for his landscapes and genre scenes, and his works can be found in several museums across Europe.
During the 18th century, the Funke surname gained prominence in various parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. One notable figure from this period was Johann Gottlieb Funke, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1736 to 1799. He was a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment and wrote several influential works on ethics and theology.
In the 19th century, the Funke surname continued to be well-represented in various fields, including science and academia. One notable example is Carl Philipp Funke, a German physiologist who lived from 1801 to 1876. He made significant contributions to the study of the human digestive system and was among the first to describe the phenomenon of peristalsis.
Another individual of note was Georg Funke, a German architect who lived from 1836 to 1911. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Königliche Bibliothek (Royal Library) and the Reichsbank (Imperial Bank).
As the centuries passed, the Funke surname spread further across Europe and beyond. While its origins can be traced back to Germany, the name has since been found in various countries, reflecting the migration patterns and historical movements of people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Funke
Among Census respondents with the surname Funke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Funke 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 Funke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,325
- Two or more races3.4% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Funke
Funke 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
#11,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,609
-29 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 916 places
2020
#11,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,508
-101 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,055 | 2,638 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,971 | 2,609 | 0.88 | -29 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 916 places |
| 2020 | #11,926 | 2,508 | 0.84 | -101 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 45 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 Funke 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 | #11,971 | #11,926 | 0.4% |
| Count | 2,609 | 2,508 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.84 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Funke bearers went from 2,609 to 2,508 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,971 to #11,926.
FAQ
Funke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Funke?
Name Census estimates that about 2,876 living Americans carry the surname Funke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,177 residents.
How common is Funke?
Funke ranks #11,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,508 people with the surname Funke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,876), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Funke.
Has Funke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Funke went from 2,609 recorded bearers to 2,508. That is a decrease of 101 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,971 to #11,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Funke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Funke, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Funke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Funke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Funke (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 Funke mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "funke," meaning "spark" or "someone who created sparks." 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 Funke (0.84 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 common is the surname Funke?
See how common the surname Funke is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.