2000
#560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,277
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.12
Uncommon Last name
Flowers
An occupational surname for someone who grew or sold flowers, or lived near a field of flowers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 64,287 Americans carry the last name Flowers. That puts it at #584 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 18.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,332 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flowers 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 Flowers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
64K
1 in 5,332
Census rank
#584
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
18.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
56K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 56,061 bearers of the surname Flowers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 18.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 584th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flowers
The surname FLOWERS is an English name that originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near or associated with flowers. It is derived from the Old English word "blostm," which meant "blossom" or "flower." The name likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century, during the period when hereditary surnames were becoming common in England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FLOWERS can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named William Flowres is mentioned. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, with an entry for a Thomas Flowres.
The FLOWERS surname may have originated from various locations across England, as it is a descriptive name that could have arisen independently in different areas. Some examples of place names that may have influenced the surname include Flore in Northamptonshire and Flower's Green in Essex.
In the 14th century, the name FLOWERS appeared in the form "Flowris" in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1349. The variant spelling "Flowres" was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1381.
Notable historical figures with the surname FLOWERS include:
1. William Flowers (c. 1498-1588), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Winchester.
2. Benjamin Flowers (1758-1841), an English engraver and portrait painter known for his miniature portraits.
3. George French Flowers (1811-1892), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 35th Governor of New York from 1892 to 1893.
4. Roswell P. Flower (1835-1899), an American businessman and politician who served as the 30th Governor of New York from 1892 to 1895.
5. Robert Flowers (1940-2004), an American jazz saxophonist and composer known for his work with the Woodstock Masters of Music and Art ensemble.
While the FLOWERS surname has a long and rich history, it is important to note that the information provided here is based on historical records and may not reflect the most recent census data or modern trends.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flowers
Among Census respondents with the surname Flowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Flowers 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 Flowers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.5% · 28,302
- Black or African American39.2% · 21,975
- Two or more races5.2% · 2,920
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 2,280
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 294
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 290
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flowers
Flowers 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
#578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,549
+3,272 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 19.51
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,061
-1,488 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 18.76
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #560 | 54,277 | 20.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #578 | 57,549 | 19.51 | +3,272 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #584 | 56,061 | 18.76 | -1,488 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 6 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 Flowers 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 | #578 | #584 | -1.0% |
| Count | 57,549 | 56,061 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 19.51 | 18.76 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flowers bearers went from 57,549 to 56,061 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #578 to #584.
FAQ
Flowers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flowers?
Name Census estimates that about 64,287 living Americans carry the surname Flowers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,332 residents.
How common is Flowers?
Flowers ranks #584 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 18.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 56,061 people with the surname Flowers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (64,287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 18.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 18.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Flowers.
Has Flowers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flowers went from 57,549 recorded bearers to 56,061. That is a decrease of 1,488 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #578 to #584.
What does the Census say about the background of Flowers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flowers, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.5%. The next largest groups are Black (39.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Flowers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.5% (28,302 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flowers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.5%), Black (39.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Flowers (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 Flowers mean?
An occupational surname for someone who grew or sold flowers, or lived near a field of 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 Flowers (18.76 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 Flowers?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.