2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vlaming
A Flemish surname derived from the Dutch word "Vlaming" meaning "Fleming" or "Flemish person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Vlaming. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vlaming 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Vlaming in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vlaming, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vlaming
The surname Vlaming originated in the Low Countries, which today includes parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France. It first appeared in the 12th century as a variation of the word "Vlaanderen," referring to the medieval county of Flanders. The name likely designated someone who hailed from this region or had ancestral ties there.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vlaming surname can be found in a 13th-century document from the town of Bruges, where a certain Gillis Vlaming was mentioned as a local merchant. Around the same time, the name also appeared in records from the city of Ghent, suggesting its widespread use across Flanders.
During the Middle Ages, the Vlaming family played a notable role in the wool trade, which was a major industry in the Low Countries. Several members of the family were involved in the production and export of high-quality Flemish cloth, contributing to the region's economic prosperity.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Jan Vlaming (1419-1487) served as a magistrate and alderman in the city of Antwerp. His son, Pieter Vlaming (1452-1528), was a successful merchant and shipowner who traded extensively with England and the Baltic region.
Another notable individual was the Dutch explorer and cartographer Willem de Vlamingh (1640-1698). He was born in the town of Brielle and later joined the Dutch East India Company. In 1696, he led an expedition to explore the western coast of Australia, where he charted various islands and named several geographical features, including Vlaming Head and the Vlaming Isles.
In the 18th century, a Dutch aristocratic family known as the Vlamingens rose to prominence. They owned vast estates in the province of Gelderland and played a significant role in local politics. One of their descendants, Hendrik Vlamingh (1726-1789), was a respected military officer and served as the governor of the Dutch East Indies from 1778 to 1784.
Over the centuries, the Vlaming surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Vlaminck, Vlemminck, and Flemming. These variations often reflected regional dialects or scribal errors in historical records. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the Flemish region of the Low Countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vlaming
Among Census respondents with the surname Vlaming, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vlaming 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 Vlaming surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vlaming
Vlaming appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+15 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 14,162 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 Vlaming 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 | #158,432 | #144,270 | 8.9% |
| Count | 102 | 117 | 14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vlaming bearers went from 102 to 117 (+14.7% change). The surname moved up 14,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #144,270.
FAQ
Vlaming surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vlaming?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Vlaming. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Vlaming?
Vlaming ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Vlaming. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Vlaming.
Has Vlaming become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vlaming went from 102 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 15 (+14.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Vlaming?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vlaming, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Vlaming in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vlaming appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Vlaming (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 Vlaming mean?
A Flemish surname derived from the Dutch word "Vlaming" meaning "Fleming" or "Flemish person". 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 Vlaming (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 surname Vlaming?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.