The Frank surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 67,304 people carried this name — #499 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,380 people counted. That is up 2% from 65,918 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Frank surname
From Middle High German Franke, from Old High German Franko (“a Frank”). Used in the Middle Ages and revived in the 19th century.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Frank» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 4,560 people named Frank live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
2,362 people named Frank live in Switzerland.
They live in 24 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
1,071 people named Frank have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 1,734 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 675 people named Frank.
125 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 45 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 132 people named Frank live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
3,014 people named Frank are counted in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Frank in American newspapers,
1862–1929.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,045,983 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Frank,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Valentin Frank von Frankenstein 1643–1697 · translator -
Johann Peter Frank 1745–1821 · physician -
Julius Frank 1808–1841 · historian -
Ignác Frank 1824–1897 · composer -
Franz Hermann Reinhold von Frank 1827–1894 · theologian
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 111 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Frank.
- Francois 14,593 · U.S. census
- Francoise 101 · U.S. census
- Francone 319 · U.S. census
- Francy 217 · U.S. census
- Franczak 420 · U.S. census
- Frand 156 · U.S. census
- Franke 7,359 · U.S. census
- Frankel 7,253 · U.S. census
- Frankhauser 243 · U.S. census
- Franklin 120,621 · U.S. census
- Frankowski 952 · U.S. census
- Frantz 12,079 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Frank is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.