2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fliehs
A German surname derived from the verb "fliehen" meaning "to flee" or "to run away".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Fliehs. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fliehs 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Fliehs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fliehs, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fliehs
The surname FLIEHS is of German origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Bavarian region of Germany, specifically in the areas around Munich and Augsburg.
One theory suggests that the name FLIEHS is derived from the Old High German word "fliohan," which means "to flee" or "to escape." This could indicate that the earliest bearers of this surname were refugees or migrants who had fled from their original homelands.
Another possible explanation for the origin of the name FLIEHS is that it is a locational surname, referring to a specific place or region. There are several villages and towns in southern Germany with names similar to "Fliehs," such as Fliesbach and Fließberg. It is possible that the surname originated from one of these locations and was adopted by families living there.
In terms of historical references, the earliest recorded mention of the surname FLIEHS can be found in the Augsburg City Archives, dating back to the late 15th century. A certain Hans FLIEHS is listed as a resident of the city in a tax record from 1487.
One notable bearer of the FLIEHS surname was Johann FLIEHS (1546-1623), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Dukes of Bavaria in Munich. His works, including masses and motets, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich FLIEHS (1779-1856), a Bavarian politician and jurist who served as the Mayor of Munich from 1835 to 1848. He played a pivotal role in the city's development and modernization during the early 19th century.
In the realm of literature, the poet and novelist Theodor FLIEHS (1820-1891) gained recognition for his works depicting the rural life and landscapes of southern Germany. His novel "Das Dorf am Walde" (The Village in the Woods) is considered a classic of German regional literature.
Moving to the 20th century, Georg FLIEHS (1892-1971) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek museum and the Maximilianeum, the home of the Bavarian parliament.
Lastly, Herbert FLIEHS (1924-2004) was a German soldier and author who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II. His memoir, "In der Hölle von Stalingrad" (In the Hell of Stalingrad), provides a firsthand account of the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the deadliest battles in human history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fliehs
Among Census respondents with the surname Fliehs, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fliehs 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 Fliehs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino11.3% · 13
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fliehs
Fliehs 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,608 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 Fliehs 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 | #143,149 | #145,757 | -1.8% |
| Count | 116 | 115 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fliehs bearers went from 116 to 115 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,608 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #145,757.
FAQ
Fliehs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fliehs?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Fliehs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Fliehs?
Fliehs ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Fliehs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Fliehs.
Has Fliehs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fliehs went from 116 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Fliehs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fliehs, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Fliehs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fliehs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (11.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Fliehs (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 Fliehs mean?
A German surname derived from the verb "fliehen" meaning "to flee" or "to run away". 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 Fliehs (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 Fliehs?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Fliehs on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.