Funk
A surname found in both German and English records, often linked to a German nickname or, in some older English sources, a descriptive byname for an ill-tempered person.
The #1,459 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,644 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Funk is most securely associated with German naming, where Funk can be a nickname or surname built on a German word used in older dialects and related forms. Some 19th-century surname writers also treated English Funk as a descriptive byname, citing Middle English and dialect use for someone cross or peevish. Because the evidence points in more than one direction, the name may have independent origins in different families rather than a single source.
History
The name is well established in German-speaking areas and was carried into the United States by immigration. English records also show early spellings such as le Funke, which suggests that at least some bearers were nicknamed rather than imported from German ancestry. Later American directories show Funk and Funke as ordinary surname forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century American writers noticed that Funk could sound like a descriptive nickname in English, but the surname also appears as a common German family name in U.S. records.
From the historical record
“from/ugl's-ham, the bird's dwelling. FUNK, FUNKE. Found as U. S. names. They may be corrupted from Fulnecks, a village of England, co. York, or Ful- neck or Fulik, a town of Moravia, circ. Prerau. FUNNELL. Lower thinks this name may be a corruption of Fontenelle, now St. Wandrille-sur-Seine, in Normandy, an ancient…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames