Contents [hide]

Franke History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Franke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany-Alt
Germany
Israel
Scotland
Ireland

The name Franke comes from a name for a person who was referred to as being free or generous. The surname was originally derived from the Old French franc, which meant "liberal, generous." In this case, the name would have been initially bestowed as a nickname either on someone who was generous or in an ironic way on someone who was stingy. The surname also has origins from the Norman official title, the frank which also means free. To confuse matters more, the surname could have been derived from the Norman personal name "Franc," which was originally an ethnic name for one of Frankish race.

Early Origins of the Franke family

The surname Franke was first found in the Domesday Book where bearers of the name Franke were granted lands in Shropshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Surrey. The name appears with some frequency in various counties between the 11th and 14th centuries; early bearers of the name include Ricardus filius Franke, who was living in London in 1188, and Ricardus Franc, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Essex in 1201. 1

Early History of the Franke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Franke research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1613, 1624, 1640, 1664, 1708 and 1775 are included under the topic Early Franke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franke Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Franke include Frank, Franks, Franke, Frankes, Frenk, Frink and many more.

Early Notables of the Franke family

Notables of the family at this time include Mark Frank (1613-1664), a British theologian, Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge; John Frank (c.1640), a British bookseller; Calvin Frink (c.1775), a British army surgeon; and Richard Franck (1624?-1708), an English captain in the Parliamentary Army and author from Nottingham. He was born and educated at Cambridge, but probably was not a...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Franke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franke Ranking

In the United States, the name Franke is the 5,622^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Franke family to Ireland

Some of the Franke family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franke migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Franke or a variant listed above:

Franke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Franke, who landed in Virginia in 1642 3
Hen Franke, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 3
Robert Franke, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 3
Peter Franke, who landed in Virginia in 1657 3
Tho Franke, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Franke, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
Christina Franke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 3
Christopher Franke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1742 3
Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Franke went to Philadelphia in 1793
Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Franke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1793 3

Franke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christian Franke moved to Baltimore in 1832 when he was 13 years old
Peter Franke, who arrived in America in 1833 3
Joh W Franke, who arrived in Indiana in 1837 3
Bernh Heinr Anton Franke, who landed in America in 1837 3
Samuel Franke, who landed in America in 1839 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franke migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Franke Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Samuel Heinrich Franke, aged 26, a farmer, who arrived in South Australia in 1847 aboard the ship "Hermann von Beckerath" 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Franke (post 1700) +

Major-General Gustav Henry Franke (1888-1953), American Member of the War Department Dependency Board (1942) 5
Bob Franke (b. 1947), American folk singer/songwriter
Jay Anthony Franke (b. 1972), American actor, voice actor and musician
William B. Franke (1894-1979), American financial manager, U.S. Secretary of the Navy 1959-1961
Joachim Franke (1940-2024), German ice hockey player, who competed for SG Dynamo Weißwasser
Alfred Franke (1918-1942), German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 60 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Werner Wilhelm Franke (1940-2022), German professor of cell and molecular biology at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, born in Paderborn
Herbert W. Franke (1927-2022), Austrian scientist and writer
Egon Johann Franke (1935-2022), Polish gold medalist fencer in the individual foil at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
Christopher Franke (b. 1953), German musician and composer
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Franke family +

Bismarck

Willi Franke (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
Rolf Franke (1918-1941), German Bootsmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
Erhard Franke (1919-1941), German Matrosenobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
Heinz Franke (1917-1941), German Matrosenhauptgefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
Alfred Franke (1919-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6

The Franke Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non nobis nati
Motto Translation: Born not for ourselves

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HERMANN VON BECKERATH 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847HermanVonBeckerath.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Gustav Franke. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Franke/Gustav_Henry/USA.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details