2000
#32,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 670
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Flaim
A surname indicating the bearer was French or Norman French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 767 Americans carry the last name Flaim. That puts it at #36,053 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 446,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flaim 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
767
1 in 446,877
Census rank
#36,053
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
669
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 669 bearers of the surname Flaim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36053rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flaim, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flaim
The surname FLAIM is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas that are now part of Germany and Austria. Its roots can be traced back to the 13th or 14th century.
The name FLAIM is thought to be derived from the German word "flamme," which means "flame." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone who worked with fire, such as a blacksmith, glassblower, or candlemaker.
In historical records, one of the earliest known references to the name FLAIM can be found in a document from the city of Augsburg, Germany, dated 1387, which mentions a certain Johann Flaim. This document provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during that time period.
Another notable early record is from the town of Salzburg, Austria, where a man named Hans Flaim is recorded as having lived in the late 15th century. This entry further reinforces the presence of the name in German-speaking regions during the medieval era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname FLAIM was Peter Flaim, a glassmaker who lived in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, in the early 16th century (born around 1490). His profession as a glassmaker aligns with the potential origins of the name being associated with working with fire.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname FLAIM was Johann Flaim, a respected scholar and theologian born in Vienna, Austria, in 1623. He authored several influential works on religious and philosophical topics during his lifetime.
Another noteworthy individual was Anna Maria Flaim, a pioneering educator from Bavaria, Germany, who lived from 1712 to 1789. She established one of the first schools for girls in her region, making significant contributions to the advancement of education for women.
In the 19th century, a well-known artist named Franz Flaim (1798-1872) gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Austrian Alps. His works are still celebrated and displayed in several art museums across Europe.
It is worth mentioning that variations in spelling, such as Flam, Flamm, and Flamme, have been observed throughout the history of this surname, possibly due to regional dialects and differences in record-keeping practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flaim
Among Census respondents with the surname Flaim, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Flaim 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 Flaim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 611
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 6
- Two or more races0.9% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flaim
Flaim 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
#32,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 710
+40 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#36,053
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 669
-41 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 3,657 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,380 | 670 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,396 | 710 | 0.24 | +40 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #36,053 | 669 | 0.22 | -41 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 3,657 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 Flaim 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 | #32,396 | #36,053 | -11.3% |
| Count | 710 | 669 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.22 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flaim bearers went from 710 to 669 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 3,657 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,396 to #36,053.
FAQ
Flaim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flaim?
Name Census estimates that about 767 living Americans carry the surname Flaim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 446,877 residents.
How common is Flaim?
Flaim ranks #36,053 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 669 people with the surname Flaim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Flaim.
Has Flaim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flaim went from 710 recorded bearers to 669. That is a decrease of 41 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,396 to #36,053.
What does the Census say about the background of Flaim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flaim, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Flaim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (611 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flaim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (6.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Flaim (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 Flaim mean?
A surname indicating the bearer was French or Norman French. 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 Flaim (0.22 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 Flaim?
You can see how many people are called Flaim on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.