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

Fleener, 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 Fleener surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fleener in America

Fleener is the 13497th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fleener surname appeared 2,250 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fleener.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fleener 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 Fleener

The surname Fleener is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "flener," meaning "to flay" or "to skin." It is believed to have emerged as an occupational surname for individuals who worked as tanners or leather workers during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the southern areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Historical records from this time period, such as town registers and guild documents, mention individuals with the surname Flener or variations like Flehner and Flehener.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a 1289 document from the city of Augsburg, which lists a "Konrad Flener" among the local tanners' guild members. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 13th century.

As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent various spelling changes, including Flehner, Flener, and eventually Fleener. The latter spelling became more common in areas influenced by the Franconian dialect, where the shift from "eh" to "ee" was common.

In the 16th century, the Fleener surname appeared in records from the city of Nuremberg, where a notable figure named Hans Fleener (c. 1510-1585) was a respected master tanner and civic leader. His descendants continued to play prominent roles in the local tanning industry for several generations.

Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Fleener (1567-1628), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony, whose works on biblical interpretation and Christian doctrine were widely circulated in the early 17th century.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Fleener surname spread further across German-speaking regions, with some families settling in areas such as Silesia (now part of Poland) and the Palatinate region (now part of southwestern Germany). One prominent individual from this era was Friedrich Fleener (1688-1759), a Silesian merchant and landowner who held significant influence in the local economy.

In the 19th century, as German emigration to the United States and other parts of the world increased, the Fleener surname began to appear in records from various immigrant communities. One notable figure from this period was August Fleener (1826-1903), a German-American farmer and businessman who settled in Illinois and played an active role in the development of the local agricultural industry.

While the Fleener surname is relatively uncommon globally, it has maintained a presence in various parts of Germany and among German-American communities in the United States. The name's origins as an occupational surname for tanners and leather workers have been well-documented throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fleener

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

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 Fleener 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 Fleener 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 Fleener was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!