2000
#14,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,875
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Fluellen
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Llywelyn, meaning "leader's image" or "likeness of the lion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,308 Americans carry the last name Fluellen. That puts it at #14,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fluellen 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
2.3K
1 in 148,507
Census rank
#14,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,013 bearers of the surname Fluellen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fluellen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and White (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fluellen
The surname Fluellen is of Welsh origin, derived from the Welsh personal name Llewelyn, which itself comes from the Welsh elements "llu" meaning "host" or "army" and "gwyn" meaning "white" or "fair". This name was borne by several medieval Welsh princes, with the most notable being Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales who died in 1282 during conflicts with King Edward I of England.
The surname Fluellen is believed to have emerged in the late 13th or early 14th century, initially appearing in records as Ffluellin, Fflewelyn, or similar spellings that reflected the Welsh pronunciation. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Rhosyr Manuscript, a collection of Welsh poetry and prose from the 14th century, which mentions a person named Ffluellin ap Ieuan.
In English literature, the most famous bearer of the name Fluellen is the character of the same name in William Shakespeare's historical play "Henry V". Fluellen is portrayed as a Welsh soldier and captain in King Henry V's army during the Agincourt campaign of the Hundred Years' War. This character first appears in the 1599 quarto edition of the play and is a representation of the Welsh soldiers who fought alongside the English during this conflict.
Another notable historical figure with the surname Fluellen was Sir John Fluellen (c.1525-1588), a Welsh soldier and courtier who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his involvement in suppressing the Northern Rebellion of 1569 and later became a Member of Parliament for Denbighshire.
In the 17th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Sir Roger Fluellen (c.1620-1678), a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Beaumaris during the English Civil War. He was a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause and later became a Justice of the Peace for Anglesey.
The surname Fluellen has also been associated with several place names in Wales, such as Llanfluellen (formerly Llanffluellin) in Powys, which likely derived its name from a person named Fflewelyn who was an early inhabitant or landowner in the area.
While the surname Fluellen is relatively uncommon, it has a rich historical background and associations with notable figures, particularly those from Wales and its military and political history. The name serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of Welsh culture and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fluellen
Among Census respondents with the surname Fluellen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and White (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fluellen 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 Fluellen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.7% · 1,745
- Two or more races5.4% · 109
- White4.6% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fluellen
Fluellen 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
#14,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,074
+199 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 158 places
2020
#14,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,013
-61 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,567 | 1,875 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,409 | 2,074 | 0.70 | +199 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 158 places |
| 2020 | #14,300 | 2,013 | 0.67 | -61 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 109 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 Fluellen 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 | #14,409 | #14,300 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,074 | 2,013 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.67 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fluellen bearers went from 2,074 to 2,013 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,409 to #14,300.
FAQ
Fluellen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fluellen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,308 living Americans carry the surname Fluellen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,507 residents.
How common is Fluellen?
Fluellen ranks #14,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,013 people with the surname Fluellen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,308), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Fluellen.
Has Fluellen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fluellen went from 2,074 recorded bearers to 2,013. That is a decrease of 61 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,409 to #14,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Fluellen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fluellen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and White (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fluellen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (1,745 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fluellen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.7%), Two or More Races (5.4%), White (4.6%). 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 Fluellen (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 Fluellen mean?
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Llywelyn, meaning "leader's image" or "likeness of the lion." 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 Fluellen (0.67 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 Fluellen?
Find out how many people have the last name Fluellen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.