2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fleigle
An occupational surname likely derived from the German word "fleigeln" meaning to split wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Fleigle. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fleigle 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Fleigle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fleigle
The surname Fleigle is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the southern regions, during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "fleigel," which referred to a flail, a tool used for threshing grain. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a thresher or was involved in agricultural activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fleigle can be found in the records of the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to the 15th century. The name is also mentioned in various historical documents from the surrounding regions of southern Germany, such as in church records and tax registers.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Fleigle surname began to spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries, as people migrated and settled in new areas. Several notable individuals bearing this name emerged during this time period, including Johannes Fleigle (1527-1599), a German botanist and physician from Nuremberg.
In the 18th century, the name Fleigle appeared in various records from the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, as well as in parts of Switzerland and Austria. One prominent figure from this era was Johann Nepomuk Fleigle (1741-1801), a German composer and organist from Würzburg.
As the 19th century dawned, the Fleigle surname continued to be found across southern Germany, with some families relocating to other European countries and even making their way to the Americas. One such individual was Karl Fleigle (1853-1924), a German-American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Fleigle Brewing Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Other notable individuals with the Fleigle surname include:
- Franz Fleigle (1801-1859), a German painter and lithographer from Munich.
- Wilhelm Fleigle (1887-1954), a German architect and urban planner who worked in Berlin.
- Erich Fleigle (1921-2004), a German physicist and inventor known for his contributions to laser technology.
While the surname Fleigle may have evolved over time and spread across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the agricultural communities of southern Germany, where it likely originated as an occupational name related to grain threshing.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fleigle
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fleigle 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 Fleigle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fleigle
Fleigle 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,950 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,950 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,323 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 Fleigle 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 | #153,769 | #149,446 | 2.8% |
| Count | 106 | 110 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fleigle bearers went from 106 to 110 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #149,446.
FAQ
Fleigle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fleigle?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Fleigle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Fleigle?
Fleigle ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Fleigle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Fleigle.
Has Fleigle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fleigle went from 106 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Fleigle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fleigle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fleigle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Hispanic (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fleigle (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 Fleigle mean?
An occupational surname likely derived from the German word "fleigeln" meaning to split wood. 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 Fleigle (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 people have the surname Fleigle?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.