2000
#6,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.91
Rare Last name
Flinn
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Floinn," meaning "descendant of Flann" (a personal name meaning "red" or "ruddy").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,749 Americans carry the last name Flinn. That puts it at #6,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,620 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flinn 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 Flinn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 59,620
Census rank
#6,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,013 bearers of the surname Flinn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flinn
The surname Flinn originated in Ireland, likely in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic name Ó Floinn, which means "descendant of Flann". Flann was a popular Irish name derived from the old Irish word "flann" meaning "red" or "ruddy".
The Flinn surname is found primarily in Ulster, especially in counties Antrim and Derry. It is also seen in parts of Connacht and Leinster. The name has several spelling variations, including Flynn, O'Flynn, and Flin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where a Gilla Pátraic Ó Floinn is mentioned in the year 1154.
In the 16th century, a Flinn family was recorded as holding lands in County Antrim. The Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of royal decrees, mentions a pardon granted to Edmond Flin of County Antrim in 1584.
Notable individuals with the surname Flinn include Michael Flinn (1825-1898), an Irish-born American politician who served as mayor of Chicago from 1876 to 1879. Another prominent figure was Thomas Flinn (1852-1931), an American politician and businessman from Pennsylvania.
In the literary world, Kathleen Flinn (born 1969) is a renowned American food writer and memoirist, best known for her book "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry".
Moving to the world of sports, John Flinn (1926-2007) was a Scottish professional football player and manager, who played for Airdrieonians and managed several clubs, including Partick Thistle.
Finally, in the field of science, Robert Flinn (1888-1969) was a British geologist and petrologist, known for his contributions to the study of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flinn
Among Census respondents with the surname Flinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Flinn 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 Flinn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 4,486
- Two or more races3.6% · 182
- Black or African American3.0% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flinn
Flinn 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
#6,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,359
+194 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#6,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,013
-346 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,118 | 5,165 | 1.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,357 | 5,359 | 1.82 | +194 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #6,509 | 5,013 | 1.68 | -346 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 152 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 Flinn 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 | #6,357 | #6,509 | -2.4% |
| Count | 5,359 | 5,013 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.68 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flinn bearers went from 5,359 to 5,013 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,357 to #6,509.
FAQ
Flinn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flinn?
Name Census estimates that about 5,749 living Americans carry the surname Flinn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,620 residents.
How common is Flinn?
Flinn ranks #6,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 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 5,013 people with the surname Flinn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,749), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 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 Flinn.
Has Flinn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flinn went from 5,359 recorded bearers to 5,013. That is a decrease of 346 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,357 to #6,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Flinn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Flinn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (4,486 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flinn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (3.0%). 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 Flinn (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 Flinn mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Floinn," meaning "descendant of Flann" (a personal name meaning "red" or "ruddy"). 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 Flinn (1.68 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 Flinn?
Find out how common the surname Flinn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.