2000
#18,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,352
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Flatley
A surname derived from a place name referring to a flat or level area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,586 Americans carry the last name Flatley. That puts it at #19,539 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 216,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flatley 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 Flatley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 216,112
Census rank
#19,539
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,383 bearers of the surname Flatley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19539th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatley, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flatley
The surname Flatley has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "flæt," meaning "flat" or "level ground," and the suffix "-ley," which denotes a meadow or clearing. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or owned a flat or level piece of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190, where it appears as "Robertus de Flatteleia." This early spelling variation highlights the name's connection to a specific place.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where it was written as "Flatele." The Hundred Rolls were a series of inquests conducted in England, providing valuable insights into the lives and landholdings of individuals during that time.
The Flatley surname can also be linked to several place names in England, such as Flatley in Derbyshire and Flatley Hill in Staffordshire. These place names may have contributed to the surname's development and spread across different regions.
One notable individual with the Flatley surname was John Flatley (born around 1524), who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan, Lancashire, during the reign of Queen Mary I in the 16th century.
Another noteworthy figure was Sir Thomas Flatley (1589-1668), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Orford, Suffolk, during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, James Flatley (1724-1798) was an English merchant and landowner who made significant contributions to the development of trade and commerce in Liverpool.
Moving into the 19th century, Edward Flatley (1818-1887) was an Irish-born American politician who served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate.
Lastly, one of the most well-known individuals with the Flatley surname in recent times is Michael Flatley (born 1958), the renowned Irish-American dancer and choreographer best known for creating and starring in the popular dance shows "Riverdance" and "Lord of the Dance."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flatley
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatley, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Flatley 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 Flatley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 1,294
- Two or more races3.3% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flatley
Flatley 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
#19,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,374
+22 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 873 places
2020
#19,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,383
+9 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Up 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,755 | 1,352 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,628 | 1,374 | 0.47 | +22 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 873 places |
| 2020 | #19,539 | 1,383 | 0.46 | +9 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 89 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 Flatley 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 | #19,628 | #19,539 | 0.5% |
| Count | 1,374 | 1,383 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.46 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flatley bearers went from 1,374 to 1,383 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,628 to #19,539.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Flatley
FAQ
Flatley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flatley?
Name Census estimates that about 1,586 living Americans carry the surname Flatley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 216,112 residents.
How common is Flatley?
Flatley ranks #19,539 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,383 people with the surname Flatley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Flatley.
Has Flatley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flatley went from 1,374 recorded bearers to 1,383. That is an increase of 9 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,628 to #19,539.
What does the Census say about the background of Flatley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatley, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Flatley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (1,294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flatley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Flatley (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 Flatley mean?
A surname derived from a place name referring to a flat or level area. 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 Flatley (0.46 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 Flatley?
Want to know how many people are called Flatley? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.