# Fleming (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/fleming/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English surname transferred from the nickname [in turn originating as an ethnonym].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 90,677 |
| US rank (2010) | 342 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,405 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.1% (87,949 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈflɛmɪŋ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English flameng, from late Old Norse Flæmingi, from Old Norse Flǽmingr, Middle Dutch Vlaminc, Vleminc, from Old Frisian (unattested) (compare West Frisian Flaming), from Proto-Germanic *flaumaz (“flowing, current (water)”) and the patronymic suffix *-ingaz (“belonging to, descended from”). More at Flanders.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Fleming in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 72% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Fleming in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Fleming

- Ian Fleming, British author (1908–1964)
- Victor Fleming, American film director, cinematographer, and producer (1889–1949)
- Williamina Fleming, astronoma escocesa (1857-1911)
- Renée Fleming, American opera soprano
- Rhonda Fleming, American actress (1923–2020)
- Peggy Fleming, American figure skater
- Peter Fleming, American tennis player
- Cailey Fleming, American actress
- Eric Fleming, American actor (1925-1966)
- Peter Fleming, British adventurer, journalist, soldier & travel writer (1907–1971)
- Vern Fleming, American basketball player (born 1961)
- Valerie Fleming, bobsledder

and 16 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Flemming, Flaming, Fleeman, Flemings, Fellman, Fillman, Flamenco.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.