2000
#317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 87,949
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.60
Uncommon Last name
Fleming
An occupational surname referring to a person from Flanders or one who was a Fleming or Flemish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 99,591 Americans carry the last name Fleming. That puts it at #350 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 29.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fleming 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fleming with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
100K
1 in 3,442
Census rank
#350
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
29.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
87K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 86,848 bearers of the surname Fleming in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 29.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 350th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleming, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fleming
The surname Fleming originates from the medieval Flemish people, who inhabited parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The name is derived from the Old French word "Flamenc," meaning "Fleming" or "Flemish person." Flemings were known for their skills in agriculture, trade, and textile production.
The earliest recorded instances of the Fleming surname can be traced back to the 12th century. In the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several mentions of individuals with the name Fleming, indicating their presence in the country at that time.
During the Middle Ages, many Flemings migrated to other parts of Europe, including England, Scotland, and Ireland, where they established settlements and contributed to the local economies. One notable example is Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders, who became King of Jerusalem in 1174 during the Crusades.
In England, the Fleming surname has a long history, with records showing individuals bearing the name as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded examples is Robert Fleming, who was a prominent merchant and alderman in London in the late 13th century.
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Fleming, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. He was granted lands in Renfrewshire, and his descendants became influential landowners and politicians in Scotland.
In the 16th century, Abraham Fleming (1552-1607) was a notable English writer, translator, and editor who published works on history, geography, and literature. His contemporary, Paul Fleming (1609-1640), was a German poet and physician who achieved fame for his baroque poetry.
The Fleming surname has also been associated with place names, such as Flemington in New Jersey, which was named after a Flemish settler named Walter Remine (or Reman), and Fleming County in Kentucky, which was named after Colonel John Fleming, a Revolutionary War veteran.
Overall, the surname Fleming has a rich history spanning several centuries and countries, reflecting the influence and contributions of the Flemish people in various aspects of European society, from agriculture and trade to warfare and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fleming
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleming, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fleming 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 Fleming surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 60,395
- Black or African American22.0% · 19,119
- Two or more races4.0% · 3,489
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,741
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 666
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 438
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fleming
Fleming 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
#342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 90,677
+2,728 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 30.74
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,848
-3,829 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 29.06
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #317 | 87,949 | 32.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #342 | 90,677 | 30.74 | +2,728 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #350 | 86,848 | 29.06 | -3,829 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 8 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 Fleming 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 | #342 | #350 | -2.3% |
| Count | 90,677 | 86,848 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 30.74 | 29.06 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fleming bearers went from 90,677 to 86,848 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #342 to #350.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fleming
FAQ
Fleming surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fleming?
Name Census estimates that about 99,591 living Americans carry the surname Fleming. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,442 residents.
How common is Fleming?
Fleming ranks #350 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 29.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 86,848 people with the surname Fleming. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (99,591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 29.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 29.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Fleming.
Has Fleming become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fleming went from 90,677 recorded bearers to 86,848. That is a decrease of 3,829 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #342 to #350.
What does the Census say about the background of Fleming?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleming, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Fleming in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (60,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fleming appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Black (22.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Fleming (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 Fleming mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person from Flanders or one who was a Fleming or Flemish. 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 Fleming (29.06 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 Fleming?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.