2000
#8,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,753
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Flower
An occupational surname for someone who gathered or sold flowers, or lived near a meadow or prominent flowering plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,166 Americans carry the last name Flower. That puts it at #8,664 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flower 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 Flower with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,274
Census rank
#8,664
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,633 bearers of the surname Flower in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8664th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flower, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flower
The surname Flower has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "floure" or the Anglo-Norman French word "flour," both of which refer to a blossom or flower. The surname likely emerged as a descriptive name, initially given to individuals who lived near a garden or meadow, or perhaps had a connection to the cultivation of flowers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Flower surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a 13th-century census document. This record mentions a William Flowere, suggesting the presence of the surname in the region during that time period. Additionally, the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166 list a Richard Flur, which could be an early variant spelling.
In the 14th century, the Flower surname appeared in various historical records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Floure was mentioned in 1345. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 also referenced a Ralph Flowere.
Notable individuals with the Flower surname throughout history include William Flower (c. 1498-1588), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as a chaplain to King Edward VI. Another prominent figure was Benjamin Flower (1755-1829), a British political writer and radical publisher known for his advocacy of parliamentary reform.
In the realm of literature, Roswell Pitkin Flower (1835-1899) was an American author and journalist, best known for his works on the history of the State of Wisconsin. The surname also has associations with military service, as exemplified by Sir Walter Nugent Flower (1873-1964), a British Army officer who fought in the Second Boer War and World War I.
Across the Atlantic, one notable bearer of the Flower surname was Peniston Flower (1592-1670), an early settler in Virginia who served as a member of the House of Burgesses and played a role in the establishment of the Virginia Colony.
While the Flower surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name contributing to diverse fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flower
Among Census respondents with the surname Flower, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Flower 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 Flower surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 2,992
- Black or African American6.9% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 186
- Two or more races3.7% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flower
Flower 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
#8,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,711
-42 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 692 places
2020
#8,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,633
-78 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,136 | 3,753 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,828 | 3,711 | 1.26 | -42 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 692 places |
| 2020 | #8,664 | 3,633 | 1.22 | -78 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 164 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 Flower 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 | #8,828 | #8,664 | 1.9% |
| Count | 3,711 | 3,633 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.22 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flower bearers went from 3,711 to 3,633 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 164 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,828 to #8,664.
FAQ
Flower surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flower?
Name Census estimates that about 4,166 living Americans carry the surname Flower. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,274 residents.
How common is Flower?
Flower ranks #8,664 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,633 people with the surname Flower. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Flower.
Has Flower become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flower went from 3,711 recorded bearers to 3,633. That is a decrease of 78 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,828 to #8,664.
What does the Census say about the background of Flower?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flower, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Flower in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (2,992 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flower appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (6.9%), Hispanic (5.1%). 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 Flower (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 Flower mean?
An occupational surname for someone who gathered or sold flowers, or lived near a meadow or prominent flowering plant. 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 Flower (1.22 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 have the last name Flower?
If you just want to know how many people are called Flower, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.