2000
#7,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,885
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Funkhouser
A German occupational surname referring to a radio operator or one who operates a spark-gap transmitter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,249 Americans carry the last name Funkhouser. That puts it at #8,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,667 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Funkhouser 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
4.2K
1 in 80,667
Census rank
#8,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,705 bearers of the surname Funkhouser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Funkhouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Funkhouser
The surname Funkhouser is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a compound word derived from the German words "Funk" and "Haus," which translates to "funky/sparky house" or "house of sparks." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a blacksmith's dwelling or workshop where sparks flew from the forge.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Funkhouser can be found in various German archives and records dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable mention is in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a world history published in 1493, where a Hans Funkhouser is listed as a respected craftsman in the city.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Funkhausen, Funckhausen, and Funkhuysen. These variations often reflected local dialects or the influence of other languages in the areas where the name was prevalent.
The Funkhouser surname eventually made its way to other parts of Europe and, later, to the Americas through emigration. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in North America was Johann Funkhouser, who arrived in Pennsylvania from the Palatinate region of Germany in the early 18th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Funkhouser surname. One such figure was Wilhelm Funkhouser (1838-1917), a prominent German architect and urban planner who designed several landmark buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
Another notable Funkhouser was Hans Funkhouser (1892-1964), a German-American journalist and author who wrote extensively about the rise of Nazism in Germany and the events leading up to World War II.
In the United States, Joseph Funkhouser (1875-1942) was a respected educator and administrator who served as the president of Kentucky Wesleyan College from 1917 to 1941.
Additionally, Gretchen Funkhouser (1939-2021) was a renowned American artist and sculptor, known for her large-scale public installations and works exploring themes of nature and the environment.
More recently, Eric Funkhouser (born 1975) is an American author and literary critic who has published several critically acclaimed novels and collections of short stories.
While the Funkhouser surname may have humble beginnings rooted in the sparks of a blacksmith's forge, its rich history and diverse bearers have left an indelible mark across various fields and regions throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Funkhouser
Among Census respondents with the surname Funkhouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Funkhouser 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 Funkhouser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 3,455
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 97
- Two or more races2.5% · 94
- Black or African American0.9% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Funkhouser
Funkhouser 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
#8,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,971
+86 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 434 places
2020
#8,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,705
-266 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,905 | 3,885 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,339 | 3,971 | 1.35 | +86 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 434 places |
| 2020 | #8,526 | 3,705 | 1.24 | -266 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 187 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 Funkhouser 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 | #8,339 | #8,526 | -2.2% |
| Count | 3,971 | 3,705 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.24 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Funkhouser bearers went from 3,971 to 3,705 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 187 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,339 to #8,526.
FAQ
Funkhouser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Funkhouser?
Name Census estimates that about 4,249 living Americans carry the surname Funkhouser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,667 residents.
How common is Funkhouser?
Funkhouser ranks #8,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,705 people with the surname Funkhouser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Funkhouser.
Has Funkhouser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Funkhouser went from 3,971 recorded bearers to 3,705. That is a decrease of 266 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,339 to #8,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Funkhouser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Funkhouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Funkhouser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (3,455 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Funkhouser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Funkhouser (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 Funkhouser mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a radio operator or one who operates a spark-gap transmitter. 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 Funkhouser (1.24 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 Funkhouser?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.