2000
#4,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Flagg
An occupational surname for a flag bearer or a nickname for someone who carried a military flag or banner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,302 Americans carry the last name Flagg. That puts it at #5,285 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,940 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flagg 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Flagg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,940
Census rank
#5,285
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,368 bearers of the surname Flagg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5285th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flagg
The surname Flagg is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "flagge," meaning a patch of land or a plot of ground. It first appeared in the 12th century and was initially used as a topographic name to identify someone who lived near a specific plot of land or a flagg.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Flagg can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, where a Robert de la Flagge is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established by the late 12th century.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with similar names, such as "Flage" in Staffordshire and "Flagge" in Lincolnshire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
The name Flagg is also associated with various place names in England, such as Flagg in Derbyshire and Flagg Pasture in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "flagge" and may have influenced the surname's origin and distribution.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Flagg. One of the earliest recorded was John Flagg, born in 1592 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, who was a prominent merchant and landowner.
Another notable figure was Gershom Flagg (1637-1692), an early American colonist and one of the founders of Lancaster, Massachusetts. He played a crucial role in the settlement and development of the town.
In the 18th century, Wilson Flagg (1786-1854) was an American author and naturalist known for his works on natural history and agriculture.
James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960) was a renowned American artist and illustrator, best known for his iconic recruitment poster featuring Uncle Sam during World War I.
More recently, Kathryn Flagg (1892-1968) was an American sculptor and artist celebrated for her works depicting Native American subjects and themes.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Flagg throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence and significance across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flagg
Among Census respondents with the surname Flagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Flagg 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 Flagg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.8% · 3,744
- Black or African American31.4% · 2,000
- Two or more races5.3% · 338
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 226
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flagg
Flagg 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
#5,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,834
+245 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#5,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,368
-466 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,896 | 6,589 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,122 | 6,834 | 2.32 | +245 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #5,285 | 6,368 | 2.13 | -466 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 163 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 Flagg 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 | #5,122 | #5,285 | -3.2% |
| Count | 6,834 | 6,368 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.32 | 2.13 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flagg bearers went from 6,834 to 6,368 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,122 to #5,285.
FAQ
Flagg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flagg?
Name Census estimates that about 7,302 living Americans carry the surname Flagg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,940 residents.
How common is Flagg?
Flagg ranks #5,285 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,368 people with the surname Flagg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,302), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Flagg.
Has Flagg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flagg went from 6,834 recorded bearers to 6,368. That is a decrease of 466 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,122 to #5,285.
What does the Census say about the background of Flagg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Flagg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.8% (3,744 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flagg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.8%), Black (31.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Flagg (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 Flagg mean?
An occupational surname for a flag bearer or a nickname for someone who carried a military flag or banner. 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 Flagg (2.13 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 last name Flagg?
Want to know how common the surname Flagg is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.