2000
#57,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Flockhart
A locational surname derived from a place called Flockhart in Scotland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 407 Americans carry the last name Flockhart. That puts it at #61,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 842,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flockhart 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 Flockhart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
407
1 in 842,148
Census rank
#61,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
355
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 355 bearers of the surname Flockhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flockhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flockhart
The surname Flockhart is of Scottish origin, with its roots traced back to the Lowlands region of Scotland in the medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "flocc," meaning "flock" or "herd of animals," and "hyrde," which translates to "herdsman" or "shepherd." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were involved in tending flocks of sheep or other livestock.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name appeared in various forms, such as Flokhart, Flokehert, and Flokkehird, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations in spelling. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where a John Flokkart from Roxburghshire is listed as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England.
In the 14th century, the Flockhart name is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were financial records maintained by the Scottish government. A notable figure from this era is William Flockhart, a landowner from Perthshire, who was granted a charter for his lands in 1372.
As the centuries progressed, the Flockharts continued to establish themselves as prominent figures in various parts of Scotland. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in Stirlingshire, where they acquired the lands of Balnacreich. One of the most celebrated members of this line was Sir Robert Flockhart (1588-1664), a renowned military commander who served in the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War.
Another prominent individual bearing the Flockhart name was John Flockhart (1767-1845), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Edinburgh. He amassed a considerable fortune through his trading ventures and donated generously to various charitable causes, including the establishment of the Flockhart Dispensary, which provided medical care to the poor.
In the literary realm, the Flockhart surname is associated with the Scottish poet and novelist Ronald Flockhart (1923-1962), whose works explored themes of social injustice and working-class life in Scotland. His most notable works include "The Restless Image" and "The Butterfly Man."
Other notable individuals with the surname Flockhart include Sir Robert Flockhart (1892-1976), a highly decorated British Army officer who served in both World Wars, and Calista Flockhart (born 1964), an American actress best known for her role in the television series "Ally McBeal."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flockhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Flockhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Flockhart 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 Flockhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 324
- Two or more races4.5% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 5
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flockhart
Flockhart 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
#55,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 368
+39 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 2,108 places
2020
#61,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 355
-13 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 5,397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,849 | 329 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #55,741 | 368 | 0.12 | +39 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 2,108 places |
| 2020 | #61,138 | 355 | 0.12 | -13 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 5,397 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 Flockhart 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 | #55,741 | #61,138 | -9.7% |
| Count | 368 | 355 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flockhart bearers went from 368 to 355 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 5,397 positions in the national ranking, going from #55,741 to #61,138.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Flockhart
FAQ
Flockhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flockhart?
Name Census estimates that about 407 living Americans carry the surname Flockhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 842,148 residents.
How common is Flockhart?
Flockhart ranks #61,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 355 people with the surname Flockhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Flockhart.
Has Flockhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flockhart went from 368 recorded bearers to 355. That is a decrease of 13 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #55,741 to #61,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Flockhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flockhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Flockhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (324 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flockhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Flockhart (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 Flockhart mean?
A locational surname derived from a place called Flockhart in Scotland. 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 Flockhart (0.12 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 have the surname Flockhart?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.