How common is the surname Franklin?

120,621 people in the United States had the surname Franklin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,560 Americans. It ranked 251st of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Franklin?

Benjamin Franklin, American polymath and statesman (1706–1790), followed by Aretha Franklin.

Where is the surname Franklin most common?

Wikidata records people named Franklin in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.

How do you pronounce Franklin?

Franklin is /ˈfɹæŋklɪn/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Franklin getting more or less common?

More common. 114,859 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 120,621 in 2010, up 5.0%.

Is Franklin also a first name?

Yes. Franklin is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Franklin

An English nickname surname, carried by 120,621 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈfɹæŋklɪn/ 2 syllables Soundex F652 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Franklin is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

English origin

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

Franklin is a nickname surname: from a description or nickname of an ancestor.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 120,621 people named Franklin in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,560 Americans. That is up 5.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 114,859.

#251

rank among US surnames

120,621

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+5%

change since 2000 (was #236)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#242	Nunez	125,350	2,463
#243	Wheeler	125,058	2,469
#244	Valdez	124,995	2,470
#245	Harper	124,461	2,481
#246	Burke	122,877	2,513
#247	Larson	122,587	2,519
#248	Santiago	122,212	2,526

Who is named Franklin

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

54% of people named Franklin identified as white (not Hispanic), 39% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.8% as two or more races.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Franklins

45 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1995
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, born 1950
Sidney Franklin
American filmmaker (1893–1972)
Kirk Franklin
American gospel musician, born 1970
Rich Franklin
American mixed martial artist, born 1974
Farrah Franklin
American R&B singer, born 1981

Notable Franklins come mostly from the United States (36), Australia (3) and the United Kingdom (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Franklin

Franklin has the Soundex code F652, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code F652.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Franklin come from?: From Middle English frankelein (“freeholder”), see franklin. The place names are mostly named after American statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790).
How common is the surname Franklin?: 120,621 people in the United States had the surname Franklin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,560 Americans. It ranked 251st of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Franklin?: In the 2010 Census, 54% of people named Franklin identified as white (not Hispanic), and 39% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Franklin?: Benjamin Franklin, American polymath and statesman (1706–1790), followed by Aretha Franklin.
Where is the surname Franklin most common?: Wikidata records people named Franklin in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 3 other countries.
How do you pronounce Franklin?: Franklin is /ˈfɹæŋklɪn/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Franklin?: Franklin is a nickname surname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor.
Is the surname Franklin getting more or less common?: More common. 114,859 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 120,621 in 2010, up 5.0%.
Is Franklin also a first name?: Yes. Franklin is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.