2000
#6,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Flory
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold floral arrangements or worked with flowers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,625 Americans carry the last name Flory. That puts it at #6,622 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flory 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 Flory with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 60,934
Census rank
#6,622
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,905 bearers of the surname Flory in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6622nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flory, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flory
The surname FLORY originated in Germany in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "flor" meaning "floor" or "ground level". The name was likely given to someone who lived or worked at a lower level or basement of a building.
Early recordings of the name can be found in various medieval German records and manuscripts, though its spelling has varied over time, including Flori, Florre, and Florry among others. One of the earliest known bearers was Hans Flory, a farmer from Nuremberg, recorded in 1298.
In the late 15th century, the name appeared in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where the Flory family was prominent among the local merchant class. Johannes Flory (1465-1522) was a successful trader and alderman in the town council.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it also found its way into Switzerland, where Johann Flory (1522-1588) was a noted theologian and Protestant reformer in Zurich. His work on biblical exegesis influenced many scholars of the time.
During the 17th century, members of the Flory family emigrated to the American colonies, likely fleeing religious persecution. One of the earliest arrivals was Hans Flory, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1683 and established a prosperous farming community.
Another notable bearer was Friedrich Flory (1785-1861), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected strategist and writer on military tactics.
Over the centuries, the FLORY surname has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life, including artists, academics, entrepreneurs, and public figures, both in Europe and the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flory
Among Census respondents with the surname Flory, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Flory 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 Flory surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 4,549
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 136
- Two or more races2.6% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 42
- Black or African American0.7% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flory
Flory 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
#6,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,243
+5 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 442 places
2020
#6,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,905
-338 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,037 | 5,238 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,479 | 5,243 | 1.78 | +5 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 442 places |
| 2020 | #6,622 | 4,905 | 1.64 | -338 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 143 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 Flory 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 | #6,479 | #6,622 | -2.2% |
| Count | 5,243 | 4,905 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.64 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flory bearers went from 5,243 to 4,905 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,479 to #6,622.
FAQ
Flory surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flory?
Name Census estimates that about 5,625 living Americans carry the surname Flory. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,934 residents.
How common is Flory?
Flory ranks #6,622 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,905 people with the surname Flory. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,625), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Flory.
Has Flory become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flory went from 5,243 recorded bearers to 4,905. That is a decrease of 338 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,479 to #6,622.
What does the Census say about the background of Flory?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flory, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Flory in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (4,549 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flory appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Flory (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 Flory mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold floral arrangements or worked with flowers. 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 Flory (1.64 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 Americans have the surname Flory?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.