2000
#66,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 280
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Flatau
A topographic surname derived from the German word "Flatt" or "Flach", meaning flat or level land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 354 Americans carry the last name Flatau. That puts it at #68,578 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 968,233 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flatau 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
354
1 in 968,233
Census rank
#68,578
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
309
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 309 bearers of the surname Flatau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68578th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flatau
The surname Flatau originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Silesia, dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German word "flat," which means "flat" or "level," and "au," a common suffix in German place names, often indicating a meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Flatau surname can be found in the parish records of Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland) in the late 1500s. The name was likely derived from a topographical feature, possibly a flat or level area near a meadow or clearing where the family resided.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Flatau name appeared in various records across Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Notable individuals with the surname Flatau from this period include Johann Flatau (1635-1702), a merchant and landowner in Liegnitz (now Legnica, Poland), and Anna Flatau (1712-1785), a philanthropist and benefactor of the local church in Breslau.
In the 19th century, the Flatau family expanded beyond Silesia, with some members migrating to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. One prominent figure was Gustav Flatau (1875-1945), a German neurologist and psychiatrist who made significant contributions to the study of neurological disorders. He was born in Breslau and later worked in Berlin and Warsaw.
Another notable individual with the Flatau surname was Max Flatau (1858-1937), a German-Jewish lawyer and politician. He was born in Posen (now Poznan, Poland) and served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and the Reichstag (German parliament) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Flatau name can also be found in historical records from the Netherlands, where it was likely introduced by German immigrants. One such individual was Hermanus Flatau (1822-1895), a Dutch architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities.
While the Flatau surname has its roots in Germany and the Silesian region, it has since spread to various parts of Europe and beyond, carried by families and individuals who have contributed to various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flatau
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Flatau 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 Flatau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 286
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 13
- Two or more races1.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flatau
Flatau 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
#65,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 304
+24 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 829 places
2020
#68,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 309
+5 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 3,334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,073 | 280 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #65,244 | 304 | 0.10 | +24 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 829 places |
| 2020 | #68,578 | 309 | 0.10 | +5 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 3,334 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 Flatau 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 | #65,244 | #68,578 | -5.1% |
| Count | 304 | 309 | 1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flatau bearers went from 304 to 309 (+1.6% change). The surname moved down 3,334 positions in the national ranking, going from #65,244 to #68,578.
FAQ
Flatau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flatau?
Name Census estimates that about 354 living Americans carry the surname Flatau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 968,233 residents.
How common is Flatau?
Flatau ranks #68,578 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 309 people with the surname Flatau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Flatau.
Has Flatau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flatau went from 304 recorded bearers to 309. That is an increase of 5 (+1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #65,244 to #68,578.
What does the Census say about the background of Flatau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Flatau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flatau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (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 Flatau (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 Flatau mean?
A topographic surname derived from the German word "Flatt" or "Flach", meaning flat or level land. 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 Flatau (0.10 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 Flatau?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Flatau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.