| ![Show Contents]() Franken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of FrankenWhat does the name Franken mean? 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. The surname Franken was most likely a patronymic, derived from the given name Francis. Although it began as a name indicating that the bearer was French (or from the Frankish tribes) in nationality. For Christians, the popularity of the name Francis was greatly encouraged by the fame of St. Francis of Assisi in during the Middle Ages, and the meaning of the name was subsequently altered. A different derivation is as a location name for a person from Franconia, a region of Southwestern Germany that was named after the Franks, who settled in this region after the fall of the Roman Empire. Franken Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Frank, Franks, Franke, Frankk, Frankke, Franck, Francke, Franckk, Franckke, Franken, Frankhen, Franckhen and many more. Franken RankingNetherlands, the name Franken is the 135th most popular surname with an estimated 8,081 people with that name. 1
| Franken migration to the United States | + |
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
- "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
- 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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