2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Flacke
A topographic surname for someone living near a flat or level area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Flacke. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flacke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Flacke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flacke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flacke
The surname FLACKE originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "flacke," which means "flat" or "level." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived or worked on a flat or level piece of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FLACKE dates back to the 13th century, where it appears in the records of the town of Nuremberg in Bavaria. During this time, German surnames were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or geographic locations.
In the 14th century, the name FLACKE can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, where a family with this surname was known to have lived and worked as merchants. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original geographic area and was becoming more widespread.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname FLACKE was Hans Flacke, a German painter and engraver who was active in Nuremberg between 1460 and 1490. His works are now held in various museums and collections around the world.
During the 16th century, the name FLACKE appeared in the records of the town of Göttingen, where a family with this surname was involved in the brewing industry. This connection to the production of beer and other alcoholic beverages may have contributed to the name's association with flat or level land, as brewers often sought out areas with level terrain for their operations.
In the 17th century, a prominent individual with the surname FLACKE was Johann Flacke, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1619 to 1699. He was a professor at the University of Jena and wrote several influential works on theology and philosophy.
Throughout the centuries, the surname FLACKE has been found in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Hesse, and Westphalia, where it was often associated with rural or agricultural communities. The name has also been recorded in different spellings, such as Flack, Flacken, and Flacken.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flacke
Among Census respondents with the surname Flacke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Flacke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Flacke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Black or African American3.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flacke
Flacke appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 4,642 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Flacke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #148,347 | #152,989 | -3.1% |
| Count | 111 | 105 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flacke bearers went from 111 to 105 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 4,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,989.
FAQ
Flacke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flacke?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Flacke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Flacke?
Flacke ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Flacke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Flacke.
Has Flacke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flacke went from 111 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Flacke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flacke, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Flacke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flacke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Black (3.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Flacke (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Flacke mean?
A topographic surname for someone living near a flat or level area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Flacke (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Flacke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.