2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fladland
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "flat land" or "level ground."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Fladland. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fladland 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Fladland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fladland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fladland
The surname Fladland is of Norwegian origin, originating from the region of Vestfold in southern Norway. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 16th or 17th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "flatr" meaning flat or level, and "land" meaning land or terrain. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived on or owned flat or level land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fladland can be found in the Norwegian Census of 1801, where it appears as "Flatland". It is speculated that the spelling may have evolved over time to its current form, Fladland. The name is also closely related to the Danish surname "Fladeland", which shares a similar linguistic origin.
In the late 19th century, a notable bearer of the Fladland name was Nils Fladland (1858-1937), a Norwegian-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1891 to 1892. Another early bearer was Ole Fladland (1867-1945), a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister and author who served as the president of Augsburg Seminary (now Augsburg University) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 1911 to 1923.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in its current spelling can be found in the birth records of Halvor Fladland, born in 1854 in Sauherad, Telemark, Norway. His son, Halvor Fladland (1881-1962), later immigrated to the United States and settled in North Dakota, where he worked as a farmer and businessman.
Another notable bearer was Sigurd Fladland (1901-1972), a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister and author who served as the president of Augsburg College (now Augsburg University) from 1948 to 1963. He was also a prominent figure in the Norwegian-American community and played a significant role in promoting Norwegian culture and heritage in the United States.
Throughout history, the Fladland name has been associated with various occupations, including farming, politics, and religious leadership, particularly within the Norwegian-American community in the Midwestern United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fladland
Among Census respondents with the surname Fladland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fladland 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 Fladland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fladland
Fladland appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+28 bearers (+26.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,353 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-20 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,001 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +28 bearers (+26.4%) | Up 16,353 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 19,001 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 Fladland 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 | #127,494 | #146,495 | -14.9% |
| Count | 134 | 114 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fladland bearers went from 134 to 114 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 19,001 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #146,495.
FAQ
Fladland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fladland?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Fladland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Fladland?
Fladland ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Fladland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Fladland.
Has Fladland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fladland went from 134 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 20 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Fladland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fladland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Fladland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fladland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Fladland (2000, 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 Fladland mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "flat land" or "level ground." 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 Fladland (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 have the surname Fladland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.