# Franklin (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/franklin/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname transferred from the nickname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | nickname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 120,621 |
| US rank (2010) | 251 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,560 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.0% (114,859 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɹæŋklɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English frankelein (“freeholder”), see franklin. The place names are mostly named after American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Franklin in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 54% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 39% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 2.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Franklin in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Angola and England.

## People named Franklin

- Benjamin Franklin, American polymath and statesman (1706–1790)
- Aretha Franklin, American singer, songwriter, and pianist (1942–2018)
- Rosalind Franklin, British chemist, biophysicist, and X-ray crystallographer (1920–1958)
- Missy Franklin, American swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, world record-holder
- Miles Franklin, Australian writer and feminist (1879–1954)
- Bonnie Franklin, American actress (1944–2013)
- Joseph Paul Franklin, American serial killer (1950-2013)
- Pamela Franklin, British actress
- Sidney Franklin, American filmmaker (1893–1972)
- Kirk Franklin, American gospel musician
- Rich Franklin, American mixed martial artist
- Farrah Franklin, American R&B singer

and 33 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Franklyn, Francis, Franco, Frank, Franks, Francisco, François, France, Franz, Frankel, Franke, Franzen.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.