Find out how popular the last name Fling is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fling.

Fling, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fling in America

Fling is the 32236th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fling surname appeared 715 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fling to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fling

The surname Fling originated in Scotland, first appearing in written records in the late 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Scottish Gaelic word "fliongeadh," meaning "to fling" or "throw." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone skilled at throwing objects, perhaps in combat or hunting.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fling surname is found in the Parish Records of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, where a John Fling is mentioned in 1597. In the same region, a James Fling is listed in the Monkton and Prestwick Parish Records in 1642.

The name Fling appears to have been most prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in Ayrshire and the surrounding areas. It is possible that the name originated from a place name or descriptive nickname in this region, as was common practice during that era.

In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the Fling surname was William Fling, a Scottish soldier and landowner who served in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He was born in 1620 in Ayrshire and died in 1684.

Another prominent figure was John Fling, a Scottish minister and author born in 1748 in Kilmarnock. He wrote several influential works on theology and served as a minister in Renfrewshire until his death in 1827.

Moving into the 19th century, a well-known bearer of the Fling name was Robert Fling, a Scottish artist and painter born in 1820 in Ayrshire. He was known for his landscape paintings and exhibited his works throughout Scotland during his lifetime, passing away in 1896.

Additionally, the Fling surname made its way across the Atlantic, with one notable example being James Fling, a Scottish-American educator born in 1854 in Ayrshire. He immigrated to the United States and served as a professor at the University of Nebraska from 1885 until his retirement in 1924.

In more recent times, a prominent figure with the Fling surname was Fred Fling, a British actor and theater director born in 1920 in London. He had a successful career on stage and television, appearing in numerous productions until his death in 2005.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fling

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fling.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fling was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fling has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fling was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fling, please contact us.

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