Find out how popular the last name Fleece is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fleece.

Fleece, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fleece surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fleece in America

Fleece is the 44957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fleece surname appeared 477 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fleece.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fleece to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fleece

The surname Fleece originated in England during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "flys", which means "fleece" or "woolly covering of a sheep". The name likely referred to someone who worked in the wool trade or owned a flock of sheep.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fleece can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a William Flys in Huntingdonshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mention a John Flyes in Cambridgeshire.

During the Middle Ages, the wool trade played a significant role in the English economy, and many surnames were derived from occupations related to this industry. The Fleece surname may have originated in areas where sheep farming and wool production were prevalent, such as the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Flys, Flyes, and Fleyce, reflecting the phonetic variations common at that time. One notable individual with this name was Sir William Fleece (c. 1375-1437), a knight from Lincolnshire who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was rewarded with lands in Normandy.

Another prominent figure was John Fleece (c. 1450-1521), a merchant and alderman of London, who served as Lord Mayor of the city in 1513. He was known for his philanthropic efforts, including establishing a free school in Hertfordshire.

In the 16th century, the Fleece surname was associated with several landed gentry families, such as the Fleeces of Wiltshire and the Fleeces of Worcestershire. The latter family resided at Fleece Hall, a manor house near Kidderminster.

During the English Civil War (1642-1651), a Captain Thomas Fleece (c. 1610-1680) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was later granted lands in Ireland as part of the Cromwellian settlement.

In the literary world, the poet and playwright Thomas Fleece (1636-1699) gained recognition for his works, including the tragedy "The Fatal Jealousy" and the comedy "The Comical Lovers".

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fleece

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fleece.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fleece was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fleece has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fleece was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fleece, please contact us.

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