2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Flittner
An occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "vliter" meaning "to weave."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Flittner. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flittner 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Flittner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flittner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flittner
The surname Flittner is of German origin and dates back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the Saxony region of modern-day Germany, specifically in the area around Dresden. The name is derived from the German word "flitten," which means "to wander" or "to roam," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname may have been travelers or wanderers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Flittner can be found in a document from the city of Leipzig, dated 1487, which mentions a certain "Hans Flittner." This document provides evidence that the name was already in use during the late medieval period in the region.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several church records and tax registers in various towns and villages around Dresden and Leipzig. For instance, a baptismal record from 1532 in the town of Meissen mentions a "Peter Flittner," whose son was christened that year.
The Flittner surname can also be traced to some notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Johann Flittner (1618-1678), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Flittner (1798-1858), a German architect and civil engineer who designed several important buildings in Dresden, including the Semper Opera House and the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
In the 19th century, the Flittner family produced several notable scholars and academics. August Flittner (1822-1901) was a German philologist and professor of classical languages at the University of Leipzig, while his son, Carl Flittner (1858-1930), became a renowned historian and professor at the same institution.
Additionally, the name Flittner has been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Flittnersdorf, a small village near Dresden, and Flittnerberg, a hill in the same region. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence of the Flittner family in those areas over several centuries.
It is worth noting that while the surname Flittner is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history and strong roots in the German-speaking regions of central Europe, particularly in Saxony and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flittner
Among Census respondents with the surname Flittner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Flittner 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 Flittner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flittner
Flittner 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+11 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 58 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-28 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 58 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 24,569 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 Flittner 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 | #117,480 | #142,049 | -20.9% |
| Count | 148 | 120 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flittner bearers went from 148 to 120 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 24,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #142,049.
FAQ
Flittner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flittner?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Flittner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Flittner?
Flittner ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Flittner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Flittner.
Has Flittner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flittner went from 148 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 28 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Flittner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flittner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Flittner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flittner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Flittner (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 Flittner mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "vliter" meaning "to weave." 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 Flittner (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 many people share the surname Flittner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.