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Fleming Family History

Fleming Surname Meaning

English: ethnic name for someone from Flanders from Middle English fleming. The word reflects a Norman French form of Old French flamanc ‘Fleming’ from the stem flam- + the ancient Germanic suffix -ing. In the Middle Ages there was considerable commercial intercourse between England and the Netherlands particularly in the wool trade and many Flemish weavers and dyers settled in England.

This surname is also common in south and east Scotland and in Ireland where it is sometimes found in the Gaelicized form Pléamonn. German: variant of Flemming cognate with 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Fleming family from?

You can see how Fleming families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fleming family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fleming families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 182 Fleming families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 22% of all the recorded Fleming's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Fleming families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fleming surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Fleming ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Fleming. 14% of Fleming men worked as a Laborer and 6% of Fleming women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fleming were Clerk and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Fleming | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    14%
  • Farmer
    13%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Clerk
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%

What Fleming family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 610,000 census records available for the last name Fleming. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fleming census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Fleming

Passenger Lists

There are 95,000 immigration records available for the last name Fleming. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Fleming immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 107,000 military records available for the last name Fleming. For the veterans among your Fleming ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fleming military records

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