2000
#6,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Flatt
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a flat or level area of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,164 Americans carry the last name Flatt. That puts it at #7,151 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flatt 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 Flatt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,374
Census rank
#7,151
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,503 bearers of the surname Flatt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7151st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flatt
The surname Flatt is of English origin, first recorded in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "flatt," meaning "flat" or "level ground," suggesting that the name was originally a topographic surname given to someone who lived on a flat area of land.
Early records of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it is spelled "Flatte." The Flatt surname is also mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1345, indicating its presence in Northern England.
During the medieval period, the Flatt family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. The name is also found in various records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327 and the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Flatt, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327. Another notable individual was William Flatt, born around 1450 in Lincolnshire, who was a prominent landowner and member of the local gentry.
In the 16th century, the surname Flatt appeared in the parish records of several villages in Nottinghamshire, including Mansfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield. Thomas Flatt, born in 1543 in Mansfield, was a respected farmer and landowner in the area.
During the 17th century, the Flatt family expanded their presence to other parts of England. Robert Flatt, born in 1612 in Yorkshire, was a successful merchant who settled in London and became a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.
One of the most notable figures with the Flatt surname was Sir John Flatt (1670-1736), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire. He was knighted by King George I in 1715 and played a significant role in local politics.
Another prominent individual was William Flatt (1738-1805), a renowned clockmaker from Nottinghamshire. His clocks were highly sought after and can still be found in museums and private collections today.
In the 19th century, the Flatt surname was well-established in various parts of England, with families residing in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and other counties. One notable bearer of the name was James Flatt (1823-1901), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Yorkshire, who donated generously to local charities and educational institutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flatt
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Flatt 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 Flatt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 4,069
- Two or more races4.6% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 45
- Black or African American0.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flatt
Flatt 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
#6,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,068
+74 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 383 places
2020
#7,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,503
-565 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 487 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,281 | 4,994 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,664 | 5,068 | 1.72 | +74 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 383 places |
| 2020 | #7,151 | 4,503 | 1.51 | -565 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 487 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 Flatt 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 | #6,664 | #7,151 | -7.3% |
| Count | 5,068 | 4,503 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.51 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flatt bearers went from 5,068 to 4,503 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 487 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,664 to #7,151.
FAQ
Flatt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flatt?
Name Census estimates that about 5,164 living Americans carry the surname Flatt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,374 residents.
How common is Flatt?
Flatt ranks #7,151 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,503 people with the surname Flatt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Flatt.
Has Flatt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flatt went from 5,068 recorded bearers to 4,503. That is a decrease of 565 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,664 to #7,151.
What does the Census say about the background of Flatt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Flatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (4,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flatt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Flatt (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 Flatt mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a flat or level area of 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 Flatt (1.51 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 common is the surname Flatt?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Flatt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.