2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Flemens
A surname originating from the Middle English "Fleme", meaning a Flemish person from Flanders, Belgium.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Flemens. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flemens 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Flemens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flemens, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Two or More Races (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flemens
The surname FLEMENS has its origins in medieval England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "flæming," which referred to people of Flemish descent who migrated to Britain from the Low Countries region during the Norman Conquest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FLEMENS surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a certain William Flemmyng is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already become established in certain parts of England by the late 12th century.
In the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, there are several references to settlements with names containing the element "Flaming" or "Fleming," such as Flamingdene in Sussex and Flemingbi in Yorkshire. These place names likely influenced the development of the FLEMENS surname.
During the Middle Ages, the FLEMENS name appeared in various records and manuscripts across England. Notable individuals included Roger Flemyng, a landowner in Oxfordshire mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, and John Flemens, a merchant from London recorded in the city's Letter Books in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure with the FLEMENS surname was Robert Flemens (c. 1420-1483), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He served as the town's mayor in 1472 and played a significant role in the city's trade and governance.
Another noteworthy individual was William Flemens (c. 1500-1568), a scholar and clergyman who served as the Dean of Windsor from 1554 until his death. He was also a renowned linguist and translator, contributing to the translation of the Bible into English during the Reformation era.
In the 17th century, John Flemens (1619-1677) was a prominent lawyer and judge who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer in England from 1673 until his death. He was widely respected for his legal expertise and integrity.
The FLEMENS surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Flemingston in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and Flemingfield in Nottinghamshire, further reflecting the geographical spread and influence of this family name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flemens
Among Census respondents with the surname Flemens, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Two or More Races (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Flemens 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 Flemens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 79
- Black or African American17.2% · 20
- Two or more races8.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flemens
Flemens 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,415 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+13 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,206 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 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,415 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 12,206 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 Flemens 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 | #157,234 | #145,028 | 7.8% |
| Count | 103 | 116 | 12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flemens bearers went from 103 to 116 (+12.6% change). The surname moved up 12,206 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #145,028.
FAQ
Flemens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flemens?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Flemens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Flemens?
Flemens ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Flemens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Flemens.
Has Flemens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flemens went from 103 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 13 (+12.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Flemens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flemens, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.2%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Flemens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (79 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flemens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (17.2%), Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Flemens (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 Flemens mean?
A surname originating from the Middle English "Fleme", meaning a Flemish person from Flanders, Belgium. 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 Flemens (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 share the surname Flemens?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.