2000
#24,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.35
Rare Last name
Florey
A surname derived from a French place name referring to a flowering meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,080 Americans carry the last name Florey. That puts it at #27,155 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 317,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Florey 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 Florey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 317,365
Census rank
#27,155
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
942
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 942 bearers of the surname Florey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27155th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Florey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Florey
The surname Florey originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the village of Flowerie, which was located in Somerset. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "flouer" or "flor," meaning flower, and "hie," meaning meadow or pasture, suggesting a connection to a flowery meadow or pasture land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Florey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Floure." This ancient record suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Flory, Florye, and Florey, as evidenced by records from the time. Notable individuals with this surname during this period include Robert Flory, who lived in Gloucestershire in 1279, and William Flory, who resided in Somerset in 1327.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name continued to appear in various records, often associated with landowners and gentry in the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire. One notable figure from this era was Sir John Floyer (1649-1734), a renowned physician and author who wrote extensively on the subject of pulse measurement and its relation to health.
In the 18th century, the surname Florey gained further prominence with the birth of William Florey (1744-1824), a prominent British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Whitchurch from 1790 to 1806.
Another notable figure with the surname Florey is Lord Howard Walter Florey (1898-1968), an Australian pathologist and pharmacologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 for his role in the development of penicillin. His groundbreaking work revolutionized the field of antibiotics and saved countless lives.
Throughout its history, the surname Florey has been associated with various place names, such as Flowerie in Somerset, Flory Hill in Gloucestershire, and Flory Farm in Dorset, further solidifying its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Florey
Among Census respondents with the surname Florey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Florey 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 Florey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 858
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 36
- Two or more races3.4% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Florey
Florey 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
#26,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 923
-31 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 1,891 places
2020
#27,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 942
+19 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 704 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,560 | 954 | 0.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,451 | 923 | 0.31 | -31 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1,891 places |
| 2020 | #27,155 | 942 | 0.32 | +19 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 704 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 Florey 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 | #26,451 | #27,155 | -2.7% |
| Count | 923 | 942 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.32 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Florey bearers went from 923 to 942 (+2.1% change). The surname moved down 704 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,451 to #27,155.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Florey
FAQ
Florey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Florey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,080 living Americans carry the surname Florey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 317,365 residents.
How common is Florey?
Florey ranks #27,155 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 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 942 people with the surname Florey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,080), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 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 Florey.
Has Florey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Florey went from 923 recorded bearers to 942. That is an increase of 19 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,451 to #27,155.
What does the Census say about the background of Florey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Florey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Florey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (858 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Florey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Florey (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 Florey mean?
A surname derived from a French place name referring to a flowering meadow. 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 Florey (0.32 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 Florey?
You can see how common the surname Florey is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.