2000
#55
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 312,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 115.89
Common Last name
Flores
A Spanish surname referring to someone living near or among flowers, or a flower grower or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 489,612 Americans carry the last name Flores. That puts it at #39 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 142.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 700 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flores 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 Flores with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
490K
1 in 700
Census rank
#39
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
142.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
427K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 426,965 bearers of the surname Flores in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 142.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flores, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flores
The surname Flores originates from Spain and Portugal, and it dates back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Latin word "flos," meaning flower or blossom. It was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a garden or worked with flowers.
In the 12th century, the surname Flores appeared in various historical records in Spain, such as the Fuero de Teruel, a legal code issued in 1176. It was also found in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise written in the 14th century, where it referred to several places in Spain.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Flores was Rodrigo Flores, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Alfonso X of Castile and León.
The surname Flores is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. For instance, Juan de Flores was a Spanish writer and translator who lived in the 15th century. He is best known for his work "Grisel y Mirabella," a sentimental novel published in 1495.
In the 16th century, the explorer and conquistador Hernán Flores participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He played a crucial role in the fall of the Aztec Empire and the establishment of Spanish rule in the region.
Another famous bearer of the name Flores was Eugenio Flores, a Venezuelan military leader who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence against Spanish colonial rule in the early 19th century. He is considered a national hero in Venezuela.
In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Flores was Ismael Flores, a Mexican artist known for his murals and paintings depicting indigenous Mexican culture and history. He was born in 1907 and died in 1994.
The surname Flores has also been found in various place names, such as Flores de Ávila, a municipality in Spain, and Flores, an island in the Azores archipelago of Portugal. Additionally, there are variations of the name, such as Florez and Florenz, which have similar origins and meanings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flores
Among Census respondents with the surname Flores, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Flores 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 Flores surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 388,453
- White5.2% · 22,342
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 10,246
- Two or more races0.5% · 2,151
- Black or African American0.5% · 2,140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1,633
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flores
Flores 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
#40
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 433,969
+121,354 bearers (+38.8%)
Per 100,000 147.12
Rank movement Up 15 places
2020
#39
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 426,965
-7,004 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 142.85
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55 | 312,615 | 115.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40 | 433,969 | 147.12 | +121,354 bearers (+38.8%) | Up 15 places |
| 2020 | #39 | 426,965 | 142.85 | -7,004 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 1 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 Flores 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 | #40 | #39 | 2.5% |
| Count | 433,969 | 426,965 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 147.12 | 142.85 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flores bearers went from 433,969 to 426,965 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #40 to #39.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Flores
FAQ
Flores surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flores?
Name Census estimates that about 489,612 living Americans carry the surname Flores. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 700 residents.
How common is Flores?
Flores ranks #39 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 142.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 143 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 426,965 people with the surname Flores. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (489,612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 142.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 142.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 143 of them to have the surname Flores.
Has Flores become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flores went from 433,969 recorded bearers to 426,965. That is a decrease of 7,004 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #40 to #39.
What does the Census say about the background of Flores?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flores, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Flores in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (388,453 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flores appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.0%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%). 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 Flores (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 Flores mean?
A Spanish surname referring to someone living near or among flowers, or a flower grower or seller. 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 Flores (142.85 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 Flores?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Flores on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.