2000
#11,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,461
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Flynt
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of arrows, derived from the Old English word "flynt."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,735 Americans carry the last name Flynt. That puts it at #12,424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,322 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Flynt 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
2.7K
1 in 125,322
Census rank
#12,424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,385 bearers of the surname Flynt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Flynt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Flynt
The surname Flynt is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "flint" or "flynt," which refer to the hard rock used for making tools and starting fires. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a flint quarry or worked with flint as a material.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 13th century in counties such as Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, where flint was abundant and quarried. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John le Flynt in Oxfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 record a William Flynt in Worcestershire.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Flint, Flynt, and Flyntt, reflecting the inconsistencies in medieval record-keeping. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 list a John Flyntt in Gloucestershire, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 record a Thomas Flynt in Yorkshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Flynt became more widespread across England, appearing in records from various counties. One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Flynt (c. 1535-1592), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Worcestershire.
Another prominent figure was Henry Flynt (1675-1751), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Launceston and later as a judge. He was also the author of several legal treatises.
In the 18th century, the name was found in various parts of England, including the west country and the midlands. A notable bearer was Josiah Flynt (1728-1805), a Baptist minister and author from Gloucestershire.
The 19th century saw the Flynt surname continue to spread across England and beyond. Robert Flynt (1810-1873) was an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes, while Henry Flynt (1843-1914) was a theologian and author from Oxfordshire.
Throughout history, variations of the name have also been found in other parts of the British Isles, such as Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration and intermarriage. Overall, the surname Flynt remains a distinctly English name with a rich history rooted in the ancient craft of flint mining and tool-making.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Flynt
Among Census respondents with the surname Flynt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Flynt 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 Flynt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 2,035
- Black or African American7.6% · 181
- Two or more races3.2% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Flynt
Flynt 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
#12,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,457
-4 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 917 places
2020
#12,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,385
-72 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,680 | 2,461 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,597 | 2,457 | 0.83 | -4 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 917 places |
| 2020 | #12,424 | 2,385 | 0.80 | -72 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 173 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 Flynt 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 | #12,597 | #12,424 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,457 | 2,385 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.80 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Flynt bearers went from 2,457 to 2,385 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,597 to #12,424.
FAQ
Flynt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Flynt?
Name Census estimates that about 2,735 living Americans carry the surname Flynt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,322 residents.
How common is Flynt?
Flynt ranks #12,424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,385 people with the surname Flynt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,735), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Flynt.
Has Flynt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Flynt went from 2,457 recorded bearers to 2,385. That is a decrease of 72 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,597 to #12,424.
What does the Census say about the background of Flynt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Flynt, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Flynt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (2,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Flynt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Black (7.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Flynt (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 Flynt mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of arrows, derived from the Old English word "flynt." 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 Flynt (0.80 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 common is the surname Flynt?
Find out how common the surname Flynt is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.