2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Flairty
A transferred use of the Scots flair meaning a sudden gust of wind or rain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Flairty. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flairty 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Flairty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flairty, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flairty
The surname FLAIRTY has its origins in the Normandy region of northern France, emerging during the late 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "flairter," meaning "to smell sweetly" or "to exude a pleasant aroma." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who had a notable fragrance or worked with aromatic substances.
In the early 12th century, records show the name appearing in various spellings, such as Flairté, Flairty, and Flairthe, across Normandy and neighboring regions. One of the earliest documented instances is found in a medieval manuscript from 1137, which mentions a "Robert Flairthy" as a landowner in the village of Roumare.
The FLAIRTY name gained prominence during the Middle Ages, with several notable figures bearing the surname. In 1254, a nobleman named Guilleaume Flairty was recorded as a participant in the Seventh Crusade, accompanying King Louis IX of France to the Holy Land.
Another significant figure was Jehan Flairty, a skilled artisan who lived in Paris during the late 14th century. He was renowned for his exquisite perfumes and fragrances, which were highly sought after by the French nobility. His workshop was located near the Pont Notre-Dame, and his creations were often gifted to royalty and dignitaries.
In the 16th century, the FLAIRTY name can be found in various historical records from Normandy and neighboring regions. One notable mention is of a Marguerite Flairty, who was born in 1532 in the town of Évreux. She is believed to have been a skilled herbalist and apothecary, known for her expertise in creating aromatic remedies and tinctures.
During the 17th century, the FLAIRTY surname spread further across France, with some members of the family settling in other parts of Europe. In 1612, a man named Jacques Flairty was recorded as a merchant in the city of Amsterdam, trading in spices and aromatic goods.
As the centuries passed, the FLAIRTY name continued to be associated with various trades and professions related to scents, fragrances, and aromatic substances. While not as widespread as some other surnames, it maintained a presence in various regions, with scattered records indicating individuals bearing this distinctive name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flairty
Among Census respondents with the surname Flairty, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Flairty 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 Flairty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 96
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flairty
Flairty 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,530 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 5,530 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 Flairty 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 | #159,712 | #154,182 | 3.5% |
| Count | 101 | 103 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flairty bearers went from 101 to 103 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 5,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Flairty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flairty?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Flairty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Flairty?
Flairty ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Flairty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Flairty.
Has Flairty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flairty went from 101 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Flairty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flairty, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Flairty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flairty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Flairty (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 Flairty mean?
A transferred use of the Scots flair meaning a sudden gust of wind or rain. 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 Flairty (0.03 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 are called Flairty?
See how common the surname Flairty is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.