Show ContentsFranken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Franken is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. Before the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as the population increased and travelers set out on their journeys, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves.Two of the most common types of Jewish family names are patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name.

Franken Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Franken is the 135th most popular surname with an estimated 8,081 people with that name. 1


United States Franken migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Franken Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Hans Franken, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1645 2
  • Arent Franken, who landed in America in 1659 2
Franken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Johann Wilhelm Franken, aged 41, who arrived in America in 1881 2
  • Peter Joseph Franken, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1881 2
  • Wilhelm Franken, aged 19, who arrived in Missouri in 1884 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Franken (post 1700) +

  • Rose Franken (1896-1988), American writer from New York
  • Al Franken (b. 1951), American Emmy-winning comedy writer and actor
  • Steve Franken (b. 1933), American comedy actor, born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York


  1. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  2. 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)


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