Falk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Falk

What does the name Falk mean?

The name Falk is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. In the Biblical period, Jews, and members of all the ancient civilizations had no surnames. Even until the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as populations increased and people began to both urbanize and travel more, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves. Jewish hereditary surnames were adopted from a variety of different sources. In Frankfurt, in the Middle Ages, the Jews lived in a ghetto called the Jedengasse, where the families were registered according to the houses they occupied. The houses were categorized with symbols, long before they were numbered, and many of these house signs found their way into Jewish surnames.

Some of the name Falk, then, are descended from occupants of house 62, which bore the sign of a falcon, or "falke" in Yiddish. Others were Jews named Joshua (Yehoshua), who adopted Falk as a "kinnui," or a secular name. For such a case the name Falk should be considered as a patronymic surname: that is, a hereditary surname that is derived from the name of a male personage. Also for this scenario, it has been suggested that there is some connection between the biblical figure of Joshua and a falcon. Although that is certainly a possibility, such a scenario is by no means clear.

Finally, the name Falk was also an acronym of "veahavta lereakha kamokha" ('love thy neighbor as thyself'): the letter A was simply added to make Valk.

Falk Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Falk, Falcke, Valke, Falke, Falken, Falkenfeld, Falkenheim, Falkenstein, Falkenthal, Falkenber, Falkheim, Valk, Wallik, Wallich and many more.

Falk Ranking

In the United States, the name Falk is the 3,166^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Falk migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Falk Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Arholt Falk, who arrived in New York in 1709 2

Falk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jayme Falk, aged 23, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1840 2
Wulf Falk, who settled in Philadelphia in 1847
Joseph Falk, who arrived in New Castle County, Delaware, in 1853
Jacob Falk, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 2
Georg Falk, his wife Agnes, and their five children arrived in Texas in 1854
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Falk Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles John Wolfrid Falk, who arrived in Mississippi in 1900 2
Anna Christina Falk, who landed in Colorado in 1907 2
Matilda Sophia Falk, who landed in Colorado in 1907 2

Falk migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Falk Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Peter Falk, who landed in Manitoba in 1874
Henry Falk, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
William Falk, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
Heinrich Falk, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
David Falk, who landed in Manitoba in 1876
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Falk (post 1700) +

Peter Falk (1927-2011), American two-time Academy Award nominated, five-time Emmy Award winning actor and comedian, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo
Lee Falk (1911-1999), born Leon Harrison Gross, an American writer, theater director and producer, creator of the comic strips The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician
Joe Falk (b. 1951), American auto dealer and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner
Richard Anderson Falk (b. 1930), American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University
Franz Falk, German-born, American businessman who founded the Falk Corporation, which designs, manufactures, and markets power transmission products in 1892
Conrad Robert Falk (b. 1935), birth name of Robert Conrad, American actor, best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West
Jan-Peder Falk (1947-2024), Swedish actor, screenwriter and director
Christian Falk (b. 1962), Swedish record producer and musician
Patrick Falk (b. 1980), German footballer
Robert Falk (1886-1958), Russian painter
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)