2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fleegal
An Americanized spelling of the German surname Flügel, meaning "wing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Fleegal. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fleegal 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Fleegal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleegal, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fleegal
The surname FLEEGAL has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old German word "fliegen," meaning "to fly," likely referring to an occupation or nickname associated with hunting birds or falconry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FLEEGAL surname can be found in the parish records of Kirchheim unter Teck, a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, where a Johann FLEEGAL was mentioned in 1583. The name also appears in other historical documents from the area, such as the Württembergisches Klosterbuch, which contains references to the FLEEGAL family in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the FLEEGAL name spread across various regions of Germany, with some variations in spelling, including FLEGEL, FLIEGELE, and FLIGEL. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johann Christoph FLEEGAL (1673-1733), a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, and Anna Maria FLEEGAL (1721-1789), a respected midwife in the town of Schwäbisch Hall.
As German emigration to the Americas increased in the 19th century, the FLEEGAL surname began to appear in various parts of the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances was Johann Georg FLEEGAL, who arrived in Pennsylvania from the Palatinate region of Germany in 1764. Another notable figure was Christian FLEEGAL (1794-1878), a Pennsylvania-born farmer and politician who served in the state legislature.
In the 20th century, several individuals with the FLEEGAL surname made significant contributions in various fields. One such person was Walter FLEEGAL (1901-1985), an American artist known for his landscape paintings and murals. Another was Evangeline FLEEGAL (1916-2003), a distinguished educator and advocate for women's rights, who served as the president of the National Education Association from 1966 to 1967.
Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the FLEEGAL surname has left its mark across different periods and regions, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diverse histories associated with German-American communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fleegal
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleegal, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fleegal 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 Fleegal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fleegal
Fleegal 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,794 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 6,794 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 Fleegal 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 | #144,141 | #150,935 | -4.7% |
| Count | 115 | 108 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fleegal bearers went from 115 to 108 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 6,794 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #150,935.
FAQ
Fleegal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fleegal?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Fleegal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Fleegal?
Fleegal ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Fleegal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Fleegal.
Has Fleegal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fleegal went from 115 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Fleegal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleegal, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. 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 Fleegal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fleegal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), 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 Fleegal (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 Fleegal mean?
An Americanized spelling of the German surname Flügel, meaning "wing." 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 Fleegal (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Fleegal?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.