NameCensus.

UK surname

Flack

An occupational surname for someone who made or sold flax, a plant used to produce linen cloth.

In the 1881 census there were 2,102 people recorded with the Flack surname, ranking it #2,102 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,193, ranked #2,130, down from #2,102 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Crishall and Lakenheath. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Forest Heath, Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Flack is 3,535 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 51.9%.

1881 census count

2,102

Ranked #2,102

Modern count

3,193

2016, ranked #2,130

Peak year

2000

3,535 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Flack had 2,102 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,102 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,193 in 2016, ranked #2,130.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,093 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Flack surname distribution map

The map shows where the Flack surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Flack surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Flack over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,365 #2,105
1861 historical 1,113 #2,521
1881 historical 2,102 #2,102
1891 historical 2,217 #2,104
1901 historical 2,839 #1,960
1911 historical 3,093 #1,687
1997 modern 3,406 #1,900
1998 modern 3,504 #1,921
1999 modern 3,524 #1,926
2000 modern 3,535 #1,915
2001 modern 3,442 #1,926
2002 modern 3,483 #1,945
2003 modern 3,376 #1,962
2004 modern 3,364 #1,966
2005 modern 3,210 #2,027
2006 modern 3,190 #2,043
2007 modern 3,210 #2,055
2008 modern 3,214 #2,065
2009 modern 3,291 #2,069
2010 modern 3,372 #2,066
2011 modern 3,284 #2,085
2012 modern 3,214 #2,097
2013 modern 3,256 #2,104
2014 modern 3,253 #2,125
2015 modern 3,208 #2,127
2016 modern 3,193 #2,130

Geography

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Where Flacks are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Crishall, Lakenheath and Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Forest Heath, Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire, Mid Suffolk and East Cambridgeshire. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Crishall Essex
4 Lakenheath Suffolk
5 Cambridge: St Andrew the Less, St Andrew the Great, Holy Trinity, St Benedict Cambridgeshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Forest Heath 002 Forest Heath
2 Cambridge 001 Cambridge
3 South Cambridgeshire 015 South Cambridgeshire
4 Mid Suffolk 009 Mid Suffolk
5 East Cambridgeshire 005 East Cambridgeshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Flack

These lists show first names that appear often with the Flack surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Flack

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Flack, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Flack surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Flack household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Flack is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Flack is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Flack falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Flack is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Flack, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Flack

The surname Flack is believed to have originated in England, likely in the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "flac," meaning a flake or a flat surface. This could suggest that the name initially referred to someone who lived on a flat or level piece of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named William Flak is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Flacke, Flake, and Fleck. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during that era.

The Flack surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Flackwell Heath in Buckinghamshire and Flecknoe in Warwickshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.

Notable individuals with the surname Flack throughout history include:

1. Sir John Flack (c. 1560-1624), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Winchelsea in 1604. 2. John Flack (1766-1848), an English architect known for designing several churches and other buildings in the Regency style. 3. William Flack (1801-1874), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Rear Admiral. 4. Audrey Flack (born 1931), an American photorealist painter and sculptor known for her pioneering work in the photorealist and post-modern movements. 5. Robyn Flack (born 1964), an Australian singer-songwriter and musician, best known for her hit singles "Holding On" and "Beating Heart."

While the Flack surname may not have been as prominent as some others throughout history, it has persisted over centuries and can be traced back to its English roots and the Old English word "flac."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Flack families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Flack surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Essex leads with 461 Flacks recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.35x.

County Total Index
Essex 461 11.35x
Middlesex 436 2.12x
Cambridgeshire 359 27.55x
Suffolk 276 11.01x
Surrey 186 1.86x
Hertfordshire 64 4.51x
Kent 47 0.67x
Lancashire 38 0.16x
Norfolk 32 1.01x
Yorkshire 29 0.14x
Berkshire 21 1.36x
Durham 16 0.26x
Hampshire 16 0.38x
Cheshire 15 0.33x
Lincolnshire 15 0.46x
Sussex 13 0.37x
Northamptonshire 11 0.57x
Nottinghamshire 10 0.36x
Somerset 10 0.30x
Leicestershire 9 0.39x
Huntingdonshire 5 1.22x
Lanarkshire 5 0.08x
Monmouthshire 5 0.34x
Bedfordshire 4 0.38x
Gloucestershire 4 0.10x
Royal Navy 4 1.63x
Warwickshire 4 0.08x
Fife 2 0.16x
Staffordshire 2 0.03x
Worcestershire 2 0.07x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.08x
Cardiganshire 1 0.20x
Channel Islands 1 0.16x
Derbyshire 1 0.03x
Glamorgan 1 0.03x
Midlothian 1 0.04x
Northumberland 1 0.03x
Oxfordshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lakenheath in Suffolk leads with 146 Flacks recorded in 1881 and an index of 1103.55x.

Place Total Index
Lakenheath 146 1103.55x
St Andrewthe Less 74 49.71x
Chrishall 62 1534.65x
Islington London 51 2.56x
West Ham 41 4.57x
Rede 40 2531.65x
Hackney London 34 2.95x
Lambourne 31 513.25x
West Wickham 31 962.73x
Elmdon 28 648.15x
Chelsea London 27 4.36x
Clerkenwell London 26 5.35x
Lambeth 25 1.39x
St Marylebone London 25 2.28x
Bromley London 24 5.30x
Clapham 21 8.16x
Shoreditch London 21 2.35x
Camberwell 20 1.52x
St Luke London 20 6.06x
Waterbeach 19 178.74x
Battersea 18 2.38x
Bury St Edmunds St James 17 25.40x
Newington 17 2.24x
Stapleford Abbots 17 491.33x
Walton On Thames 17 36.93x
Barking 16 13.47x
Cherry Hinton 16 261.01x
Quy 16 647.77x
Stoke Newington London 16 9.98x
Bottisham 15 135.14x
Grays Thurrock 15 39.74x
The Holy Sepulchre 15 470.22x
Walthamstow 14 9.58x
Burwell 13 83.28x
Chesterton 13 32.35x
Skelmanthorpe 13 59.06x
St Pancras London 13 0.79x
Writtle 13 78.31x
Bow London 12 4.58x
Fulham London 12 4.02x
Mile End Old Town London 12 2.74x
Saffron Walden 12 27.97x
Thriplow 12 369.23x
Tottenham 12 3.66x
Hornsey 11 4.23x
Littleport 11 44.19x
Wendens Ambo 11 421.46x
Bury St Edmunds St Mary 10 21.26x
Clavering 10 136.05x
Hatfield 10 34.78x
Ingatestone 10 153.37x
Ipswich St Helen 10 33.67x
Ipswich St Margaret 10 11.76x
Kensington London 10 0.87x
Shaw Cum Donnington 10 202.02x
St George Hanover Square 10 2.76x
Stanstead Abbots 10 116.14x
Cheshunt 9 18.16x
Croydon 9 1.62x
East Hanningfield 9 315.79x
Great Chishall 9 309.28x
Southery 9 107.78x
Ashdon 8 135.14x
Bethnal Green London 8 0.90x
Birkenhead 8 2.21x
Bishop Stortford 8 16.89x
Chelmsford 8 11.48x
Chipping Ongar 8 114.45x
Maldon St Peter 8 38.67x
Milton 8 205.66x
Rayleigh 8 85.56x
Southwark St George Martyr 8 1.93x
Sutton 8 11.03x
Whittlesford 8 133.78x
Crossgate 7 26.16x
Edmonton 7 4.22x
Ratcliffe London 7 6.16x
St Botolph Aldgate London 7 16.52x
Stanford Rivers 7 101.89x
Winterbourne 7 291.67x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Flack surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Flack surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 107
James 94
John 87
George 83
Henry 54
Charles 53
Thomas 48
Alfred 39
Edward 37
Arthur 31
Frederick 31
Walter 29
Robert 24
Joseph 22
Harry 21
Richard 13
Albert 12
David 11
Wm. 10
Daniel 8
Ernest 8
Herbert 8
Geo. 7
Samuel 7
Sidney 7
Edwin 6
Simon 6
Allen 5
Fred 5
Peter 5
Stephen 4
Alexander 3
Ambrose 3
Chas. 3
Cornelius 3
Frank 3
Fredk. 3
Harold 3
J. 3
Jno. 3
Joshua 3
Reuben 3
Thos. 3
Willie 3
A. 2
Amos 2
Christopher 2
Francis 2
Nathanael 2
Zachariah 2

FAQ

Flack surname: questions and answers

How common was the Flack surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,102 people were recorded with the Flack surname. That placed it at #2,102 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Flack surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,193 in 2016. That gives Flack a modern rank of #2,130.

What does the Flack surname mean?

An occupational surname for someone who made or sold flax, a plant used to produce linen cloth.

What does the Flack map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Flack bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.