2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Suelflow
A habitational surname derived from a place name associated with a creek or small stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Suelflow. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suelflow 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Suelflow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suelflow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suelflow
The surname SUELFLOW has its origins in the German regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. Derived from the Old German words "suel" meaning "swamp" and "flo" meaning "creek" or "stream", the name likely referred to someone who lived near a swampy or marshy area with a flowing body of water nearby.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SUELFLOW can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Osnabrück in 1597, where a child named Hans SUELFLOW was christened. In the mid-17th century, the surname appears in various land records and tax rolls in the nearby village of Belm, suggesting that the family had established a presence in the area.
During the 18th century, the SUELFLOW name began to spread across northern Germany, with records indicating families bearing the surname in cities such as Hamburg and Bremen. Notable individuals from this period include Johann SUELFLOW (1724-1793), a respected merchant and alderman in the city of Lübeck.
As German emigration to the Americas increased in the 19th century, the SUELFLOW surname made its way across the Atlantic. One of the earliest recorded arrivals was Friedrich SUELFLOW, who settled in Ohio in 1832. Later in the century, a prominent figure named Wilhelm SUELFLOW (1845-1912) emerged as a successful banker and philanthropist in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Back in Europe, the SUELFLOW name continued to be documented in various records throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable individual was the German artist and illustrator, Else SUELFLOW (1875-1942), whose works were widely published in magazines and children's books of the time.
Despite its relatively uncommon nature, the SUELFLOW surname has persisted across generations, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields throughout history. While its origins can be traced back to the marshlands of northern Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, carrying with it a rich heritage and a reminder of its geographic roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suelflow
Among Census respondents with the surname Suelflow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Suelflow 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 Suelflow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suelflow
Suelflow 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Suelflow 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suelflow bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
FAQ
Suelflow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suelflow?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Suelflow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Suelflow?
Suelflow ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Suelflow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Suelflow.
Has Suelflow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suelflow went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Suelflow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suelflow, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Suelflow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suelflow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Suelflow (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 Suelflow mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name associated with a creek or small stream. 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 Suelflow (0.04 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 Suelflow?
Want to know how common the surname Suelflow is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.