2000
#4,254
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,706
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.86
Rare Last name
Flick
A nickname-turned-surname derived from the German name Frederick, or an occupational name for a trader or merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,176 Americans carry the last name Flick. That puts it at #4,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,922 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flick 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 Flick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,922
Census rank
#4,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,130 bearers of the surname Flick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flick
The surname Flick originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "flicchen," which means "to patch" or "to repair." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to individuals who worked as tailors, seamstresses, or cloth menders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Flick can be found in the town of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Konrad Flick lived in the late 14th century. Records from this time period also mention a family named Flick residing in the town of Bamberg.
The Flick name appears in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, including tax records and church registries. One notable example is Johannes Flick, a Lutheran pastor who lived in the town of Lübeck in the late 16th century.
In the 18th century, the Flick surname became more widespread across Germany, with families bearing the name found in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. One prominent figure from this time was Friedrich Flick, a businessman and industrialist who lived from 1719 to 1791.
During the 19th century, the Flick family gained significant prominence in the steel industry. Friedrich Flick (1883-1972), a German industrialist and convicted war profiteer, was a notable figure from this era. Another prominent individual was Otto Flick (1870-1954), a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag.
Other notable individuals with the surname Flick include:
1. Hans Flick (born 1965), a German professional football coach and former player.
2. Hildegard Flick (1897-1997), a German artist and sculptor known for her abstract works.
3. Karl Flick (1894-1986), a German businessman and industrialist who inherited the Flick family's steel empire.
4. Theodor Flick (1861-1936), a German businessman and co-founder of the Flick Konzern, a major industrial conglomerate.
5. Wilhelm Flick (1879-1944), a German businessman and industrialist who was convicted of war crimes during World War II.
Overall, the surname Flick has a rich history rooted in Germany, with its origins possibly stemming from an occupational surname related to tailoring or cloth mending. Throughout the centuries, the name has been associated with various prominent figures, particularly in the realms of business, industry, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flick
Among Census respondents with the surname Flick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Flick 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 Flick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 6,566
- Two or more races3.5% · 247
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 208
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 34
- Black or African American0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flick
Flick 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
#4,630
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,661
-45 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#4,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,130
-531 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,254 | 7,706 | 2.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,630 | 7,661 | 2.60 | -45 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #4,805 | 7,130 | 2.39 | -531 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 175 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 Flick 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 | #4,630 | #4,805 | -3.8% |
| Count | 7,661 | 7,130 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.39 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flick bearers went from 7,661 to 7,130 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,630 to #4,805.
FAQ
Flick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flick?
Name Census estimates that about 8,176 living Americans carry the surname Flick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,922 residents.
How common is Flick?
Flick ranks #4,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,130 people with the surname Flick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Flick.
Has Flick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flick went from 7,661 recorded bearers to 7,130. That is a decrease of 531 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,630 to #4,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Flick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Flick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (6,566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Flick (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 Flick mean?
A nickname-turned-surname derived from the German name Frederick, or an occupational name for a trader or merchant. 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 Flick (2.39 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 Flick?
You can see how many people have the last name Flick on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.