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The surname Fleming

A patronymic surname, carried by 90,677 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈflɛmɪŋ/ 2 syllables Soundex F455

Fleming: #342 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Fleming #342, 90,677 people Fleming: #342 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott Fleming #342, 90,677 people
Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Fleming is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

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.

Fleming is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 90,677 people named Fleming in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,405 Americans. That is up 3.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 87,949.

#342
rank among US surnames
90,677
people in 2010
31
per 100,000 Americans
+3.1%
change since 2000 (was #317)
RankSurnamePeople1 in
#333Ayala92,4633,339
#334Lowe92,2603,346
#335Frazier92,1523,350
#336Powers91,9703,357
#337Neal91,6943,367
#338Leonard91,4753,375
#339Gregory91,3843,379

Who is named Fleming

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

72% of people named Fleming identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as two or more races.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Flemings

28 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

  • 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, born 1959
  • Rhonda Fleming
    American actress (1923–2020)
  • Peggy Fleming
    American figure skater, born 1948
  • Peter Fleming
    American tennis player, born 1955
  • Cailey Fleming
    American actress, born 2007
  • 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, born 1976

Notable Flemings come mostly from the United States (24), the United Kingdom (3) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Fleming

Fleming has the Soundex code F455, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code F455.

Questions

Where does the surname Fleming come from?
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…
How common is the surname Fleming?
90,677 people in the United States had the surname Fleming in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,405 Americans. It ranked 342nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Fleming?
In the 2010 Census, 72% of people named Fleming identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Fleming?
Ian Fleming, British author (1908–1964), followed by Victor Fleming.
Where is the surname Fleming most common?
Wikidata records people named Fleming in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
How do you pronounce Fleming?
Fleming is /ˈflɛmɪŋ/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Fleming?
Fleming is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Fleming getting more or less common?
More common. 87,949 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 90,677 in 2010, up 3.1%.
Is Fleming also a first name?
Yes. Fleming is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.