Falk
A surname with two main roots: in German it can mean “falcon,” while in English records it is often a short form of Fulk.
The #2,991 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 25,774 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In German and Danish usage, Falk comes from the word for “falcon,” ultimately from Old High German falco/falke. In English records, however, Falk can also be a shortened or variant form of the medieval personal name Fulk, from Old French and Germanic forms such as Fulco/Fulcher. Because both lines occur in historical sources, the surname is best treated as having more than one possible origin depending on the family line.
History
The German bird-name origin is well established and fits many continental bearers of the surname. In England, medieval spellings such as Falk, Faulke, and Folke often appear alongside Fulk-related forms, showing how easily the name shifted in records. The surname later spread through migration and standardization, so modern bearers may have either a Germanic “falcon” surname or an English patronymic line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers sometimes glossed Falk simply as “falcon,” but English parish records also use it as one of several spellings of the very common medieval name Fulk.
From the historical record
“Zimraermann. FALK 1 (Ger.) Falcon, Hawk [Ger. falke, FALKE ) O.H.Ger. /a/cAo] FARGE (Fr.) Dweller by a Forge [Dial. Fr. farge, a forge ; Lat. fabrica, a workshop] FARGUES (Fr.) a S. French place-name = the Forges \l.Vxav^'a<^.faurgai^x. forge); L,sit. fabrica, a workshop]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)