2000
#10,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,913
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Florian
Derived from the Latin name "Florius," meaning "flowering" or "blooming," likely referring to someone who lived near a flourishing garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,448 Americans carry the last name Florian. That puts it at #8,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Florian 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 Florian with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,058
Census rank
#8,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,879 bearers of the surname Florian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Florian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (46.2%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Florian
The surname Florian originated in Southern France and Northern Italy during the late Roman period. It is derived from the Latin name Florianus, meaning "blooming" or "flourishing". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent floral area or had a profession related to flowers.
One of the earliest records of the name Florian comes from the 4th century Roman martyr Saint Florian, who was believed to have been born around 250 AD in the ancient Roman city of Aelium Cetium, now known as St. Pölten, Austria. St. Florian is the patron saint of firefighters and is often depicted carrying a vessel of water.
In the 9th century, the name Florian appeared in the Cartulary of Redon, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of Redon in Brittany, France. This document recorded the names of landowners and other individuals in the region during that time.
The Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, contains several references to individuals with the surname Florian, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Florian was Hugues Florian, a French nobleman who lived in the 12th century and was a member of the Knights Templar. Another notable Florian was Pietro Florian, an Italian painter and architect who lived in the 15th century and is known for his work in the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua.
During the 16th century, the name was associated with several prominent figures, including Franciscus Florian, a Dutch humanist scholar and professor of Greek at the University of Leiden (1500-1570), and Matthaeus Florian, a German physician and botanist who lived from 1528 to 1591.
In the 17th century, Johann Florian Haid was a German engraver and publisher who lived from 1642 to 1705. He is known for his intricate engravings of religious and allegorical scenes.
A notable Florian in the 18th century was Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian, a French writer and fabulist who lived from 1755 to 1794. He is best known for his fables and pastoral novels.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Florian
Among Census respondents with the surname Florian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (46.2%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Florian 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 Florian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.2% · 1,870
- White46.2% · 1,794
- Black or African American3.7% · 142
- Two or more races1.3% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Florian
Florian 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
#8,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,731
+818 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 1,378 places
2020
#8,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,879
+148 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 614 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,167 | 2,913 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,789 | 3,731 | 1.26 | +818 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 1,378 places |
| 2020 | #8,175 | 3,879 | 1.30 | +148 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 614 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 Florian 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 | #8,789 | #8,175 | 7.0% |
| Count | 3,731 | 3,879 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.30 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Florian bearers went from 3,731 to 3,879 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 614 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,789 to #8,175.
FAQ
Florian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Florian?
Name Census estimates that about 4,448 living Americans carry the surname Florian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,058 residents.
How common is Florian?
Florian ranks #8,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,879 people with the surname Florian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Florian.
Has Florian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Florian went from 3,731 recorded bearers to 3,879. That is an increase of 148 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,789 to #8,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Florian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Florian, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 48.2%. The next largest groups are White (46.2%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Florian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.2% (1,870 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Florian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (48.2%), White (46.2%), Black (3.7%). 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 Florian (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 Florian mean?
Derived from the Latin name "Florius," meaning "flowering" or "blooming," likely referring to someone who lived near a flourishing garden. 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 Florian (1.30 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 Florian?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Florian on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.