2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Florkey
An English surname derived from the Old French word "flor", meaning flower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Florkey. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Florkey 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Florkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Florkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Florkey
The surname Florkey is believed to have originated in the Rhineland region of Germany during the late Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German words "flor," meaning flower, and "key," referring to a small stream or meadow. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a flowery meadow or settlement near a small stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Florkey surname can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Rheno-Mosellanus," a collection of historical documents from the Moselle and Rhine regions, dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Johannes Florkey" from the town of Koblenz in 1276.
The Florkey name also appears in various medieval manorial records and tax rolls from the Rhineland area, indicating that the family had established itself as landowners and members of the local gentry by the 15th century. A notable example is the "Lagerbuch der Herren von Stein" from 1487, which lists a "Dietrich Florkey" as a tenant farmer on the lands of the Stein noble family.
As the Florkey family spread throughout Germany and beyond, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some alternative spellings found in historical records include Florkeye, Florckey, and Florckei. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the personal preferences of scribes and record-keepers.
Notable individuals bearing the Florkey surname throughout history include:
1. Heinrich Florkey (c. 1520-1587), a German merchant and wealthy benefactor who funded the construction of a church in his hometown of Trier.
2. Anna Florkey (c. 1615-1692), a celebrated herbalist and midwife from the town of Bingen, renowned for her expertise in the medicinal uses of local plants.
3. Johann Florkey (1735-1812), a German clockmaker and inventor who developed an early form of the pendulum clock in the late 18th century.
4. Maximilian Florkey (1854-1932), a German-born American industrialist who founded the Florkey Ironworks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and played a significant role in the city's steel industry.
5. Gertrude Florkey (1892-1975), a German-American artist and painter known for her vibrant landscapes and portraiture, many of which are housed in the collections of major museums across the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Florkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Florkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Florkey 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 Florkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Florkey
Florkey 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+12 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,452 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 2,452 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6,724 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 Florkey 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 | #138,304 | #145,028 | -4.9% |
| Count | 121 | 116 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Florkey bearers went from 121 to 116 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,028.
FAQ
Florkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Florkey?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Florkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Florkey?
Florkey ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Florkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Florkey.
Has Florkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Florkey went from 121 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Florkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Florkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Florkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Florkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Florkey (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 Florkey mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "flor", meaning flower. 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 Florkey (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 Florkey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.