2000
#20,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Flakes
A surname potentially derived from a person's flaky appearance or behavior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,462 Americans carry the last name Flakes. That puts it at #20,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flakes 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
1.5K
1 in 234,442
Census rank
#20,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,275 bearers of the surname Flakes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flakes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flakes
The surname FLAKES has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "flakce," which referred to a flake or a flat piece of something, such as a piece of stone or metal. This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with such materials or had a physical characteristic resembling a flake.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FLAKES can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire, where a John Flakes was mentioned in 1592. The name also appears in the records of Oxfordshire, where a William Flakes was recorded in the village of Banbury in 1619.
In the 17th century, the surname FLAKES can be found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Lancashire. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Flakes" or "Flakes," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One notable individual with the surname FLAKES was Robert Flakes (1640-1708), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the trade of tobacco and other goods with the American colonies and amassed a considerable fortune.
Another person of historical significance bearing the name FLAKES was Sarah Flakes (1688-1763), a Quaker preacher and writer from Northamptonshire. She is known for her published works on religious subjects, which were widely read in the Quaker community of her time.
In the 18th century, the FLAKES surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with some families migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One such individual was John Flakes (1725-1802), a farmer from Wiltshire who later settled in the American colonies and fought in the Revolutionary War.
Moving into the 19th century, the FLAKES name can be found in various historical records, including census data and parish registers. One notable figure from this period was William Flakes (1814-1892), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Yorkshire, who donated a significant portion of his wealth to various charitable causes.
Another individual of note was Mary Flakes (1845-1923), a women's rights activist and educator from Gloucestershire. She was a vocal advocate for women's suffrage and played a key role in establishing educational opportunities for women in her local community.
Throughout its history, the surname FLAKES has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, farmers, religious figures, and activists. While the exact origins of the name may be lost to time, its endurance and presence across centuries of English history is a testament to its significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flakes
Among Census respondents with the surname Flakes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Flakes 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 Flakes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American74.8% · 954
- White15.0% · 191
- Two or more races6.0% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flakes
Flakes 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
#19,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,397
+189 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Up 1,072 places
2020
#20,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,275
-122 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 1,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,436 | 1,208 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,364 | 1,397 | 0.47 | +189 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 1,072 places |
| 2020 | #20,959 | 1,275 | 0.43 | -122 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 1,595 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 Flakes 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 | #19,364 | #20,959 | -8.2% |
| Count | 1,397 | 1,275 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.43 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flakes bearers went from 1,397 to 1,275 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 1,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,364 to #20,959.
FAQ
Flakes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flakes?
Name Census estimates that about 1,462 living Americans carry the surname Flakes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,442 residents.
How common is Flakes?
Flakes ranks #20,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,275 people with the surname Flakes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,462), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Flakes.
Has Flakes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flakes went from 1,397 recorded bearers to 1,275. That is a decrease of 122 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,364 to #20,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Flakes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flakes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.8%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Flakes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flakes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (74.8%), White (15.0%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Flakes (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 Flakes mean?
A surname potentially derived from a person's flaky appearance or behavior. 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 Flakes (0.43 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 Flakes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.