2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Flennory
A surname likely derived from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Flennory. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flennory 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Flennory in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flennory, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flennory
The surname Flennory has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "flane," meaning an arrow or a dart, combined with the suffix "-ry," denoting an occupation or trade. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone involved in the making or selling of arrows or darts.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Flennory can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, where it appears as "Flenry." This variation in spelling was common during medieval times due to the lack of standardized orthography. The name is also mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, listed as "Flenery."
During the 14th century, the surname Flennory began to spread across various regions of England, including Lincolnshire, where it was recorded as "Flennary" in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. This document served as a survey of landholdings and property ownership in the county.
In the 15th century, the name Flennory was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was John Flennory, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived between 1432 and 1498. Another was William Flennory, a scholar and clergyman from Oxfordshire, who was born in 1457 and died in 1522.
As the centuries passed, the surname Flennory continued to be found in various historical records and documents. In the 16th century, the name appeared in the Parish Registers of Warwickshire, where it was spelled as "Flennarie." During the same period, a Thomas Flennory (1534-1611) was recorded as a prominent landowner and farmer in Kent.
In the 17th century, the surname Flennory gained further recognition with the birth of Robert Flennory (1625-1692), a renowned English philosopher and writer who contributed significantly to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.
The 18th century saw the rise of another notable figure bearing the surname Flennory: Elizabeth Flennory (1742-1818), a pioneering botanist and naturalist from Hertfordshire. Her groundbreaking work on the classification of plant species earned her widespread acclaim in scientific circles.
Throughout the 19th century, the surname Flennory continued to be represented across various walks of life. One such individual was James Flennory (1812-1879), a successful industrialist and entrepreneur from Lancashire, who played a pivotal role in the development of the textile industry in the region.
While the surname Flennory has undergone variations in spelling over the centuries, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the annals of English history, reflecting the diverse narratives and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flennory
Among Census respondents with the surname Flennory, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Flennory 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 Flennory surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.5% · 99
- White3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flennory
Flennory appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,498 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 Flennory 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 | #151,639 | -5.2% |
| Count | 115 | 107 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flennory bearers went from 115 to 107 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #151,639.
FAQ
Flennory surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flennory?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Flennory. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Flennory?
Flennory ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Flennory. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Flennory.
Has Flennory become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flennory went from 115 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Flennory?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flennory, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Flennory in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flennory appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.5%), White (3.7%), Two or More Races (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 Flennory (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 Flennory mean?
A surname likely derived from a place name in England. 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 Flennory (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 common is the surname Flennory?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Flennory on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.