2000
#11,507
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,509
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Fluker
One who lived near a confluence of streams or rivers, or an occupational name for a fisherman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,118 Americans carry the last name Fluker. That puts it at #11,136 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fluker 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
3.1K
1 in 109,928
Census rank
#11,136
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,719 bearers of the surname Fluker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11136th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fluker, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fluker
The surname "FLUKER" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from an old English or Anglo-Saxon word related to hunting or falconry. The name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was skilled in the practice of falconry or hunting with hawks.
One possible root of the name is the Old English word "fluger," which means "flyer" or "one who flies." This could suggest that the earliest bearers of the name were associated with the training or handling of birds of prey for hunting purposes. Alternatively, the name may have evolved from a place name referring to a location where falcons or hawks were commonly found or bred.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname "FLUKER" date back to the 13th century, with mentions in various historical documents and records from different regions of England. However, there is no definitive evidence of the name appearing in the Domesday Book, the famous survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname "FLUKER" throughout history are:
1. Thomas Fluker (c. 1570-1645), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Wiltshire.
2. Elizabeth Fluker (1632-1698), a renowned midwife and herbalist from the village of Penshurst, Kent.
3. John Fluker (1720-1798), a successful merchant and shipping magnate who operated out of the port of Bristol.
4. William Fluker (1783-1862), a pioneering farmer and landowner in the colony of New South Wales, Australia.
5. Mary Fluker (1845-1912), a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights in the United States.
While the surname "FLUKER" is not among the most common surnames globally, it has maintained a presence throughout various regions, particularly in parts of England, Australia, and North America, where descendants of the early bearers of the name settled and established roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fluker
Among Census respondents with the surname Fluker, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fluker 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 Fluker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American76.2% · 2,072
- White15.5% · 422
- Two or more races4.8% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fluker
Fluker 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
#10,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,901
+392 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 543 places
2020
#11,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,719
-182 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,507 | 2,509 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,964 | 2,901 | 0.98 | +392 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 543 places |
| 2020 | #11,136 | 2,719 | 0.91 | -182 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 172 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 Fluker 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 | #10,964 | #11,136 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,901 | 2,719 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.91 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fluker bearers went from 2,901 to 2,719 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 172 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,964 to #11,136.
FAQ
Fluker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fluker?
Name Census estimates that about 3,118 living Americans carry the surname Fluker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,928 residents.
How common is Fluker?
Fluker ranks #11,136 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,719 people with the surname Fluker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Fluker.
Has Fluker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fluker went from 2,901 recorded bearers to 2,719. That is a decrease of 182 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,964 to #11,136.
What does the Census say about the background of Fluker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fluker, the largest self-reported group is Black at 76.2%. The next largest groups are White (15.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fluker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (2,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fluker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (76.2%), White (15.5%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fluker (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 Fluker mean?
One who lived near a confluence of streams or rivers, or an occupational name for a fisherman. 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 Fluker (0.91 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 Fluker?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Fluker on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.