2000
#2,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,683
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.44
Uncommon Last name
Flint
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a significant outcrop of flint rock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,492 Americans carry the last name Flint. That puts it at #2,452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,783 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flint 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 Flint with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 20,783
Census rank
#2,452
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,382 bearers of the surname Flint in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flint, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flint
The surname FLINT originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is a locational surname derived from various places in England called Flint, such as the town of Flint in Flintshire, Wales. The name Flint comes from the Old English word "flint," referring to the hard rock found in chalky areas.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest known record of the surname, it appears as "de Flint," indicating a person from the town of Flint. The name was also recorded as "de Flynt" and "de Flyntesham" in early records.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname FLINT was William de Flint, a landowner in Flintshire mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1199. Another early bearer was John de Flint, a cleric and royal clerk who served under King Edward I in the late 13th century.
During the 14th century, the FLINT surname spread across England, with families residing in counties like Shropshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire. Sir William Flint (1330-1405) was a notable knight and landowner from Flintshire.
In the 15th century, the surname FLINT appeared in various spellings, such as Flynt, Flinte, and Flyntesham. Robert Flint (1450-1520) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during this period.
The FLINT surname continued to be well-represented in England throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Notable individuals included Sir Thomas Flint (1548-1617), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Worcestershire, and Henry Flint (1615-1675), a Puritan minister and author.
In the 18th century, the FLINT surname was associated with several notable figures, such as William Flint (1720-1785), a British naval officer and explorer, and John Flint (1755-1825), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer.
During the 19th century, the surname FLINT continued to be prominent in various fields. Austin Flint (1812-1886) was an American physician and medical writer, while Timothy Flint (1780-1840) was an author, missionary, and educator who wrote extensively about the American West.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flint
Among Census respondents with the surname Flint, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Flint 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 Flint surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 11,757
- Black or African American9.1% · 1,303
- Two or more races4.2% · 599
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 549
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flint
Flint 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
#2,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,123
+440 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 5.13
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#2,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,382
-741 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 4.81
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,268 | 14,683 | 5.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,399 | 15,123 | 5.13 | +440 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #2,452 | 14,382 | 4.81 | -741 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 53 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 Flint 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 | #2,399 | #2,452 | -2.2% |
| Count | 15,123 | 14,382 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.13 | 4.81 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flint bearers went from 15,123 to 14,382 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,399 to #2,452.
FAQ
Flint surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flint?
Name Census estimates that about 16,492 living Americans carry the surname Flint. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,783 residents.
How common is Flint?
Flint ranks #2,452 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,382 people with the surname Flint. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,492), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Flint.
Has Flint become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flint went from 15,123 recorded bearers to 14,382. That is a decrease of 741 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,399 to #2,452.
What does the Census say about the background of Flint?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flint, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Flint in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (11,757 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flint appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (9.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Flint (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 Flint mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a significant outcrop of flint rock. 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 Flint (4.81 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 Flint?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Flint, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.