2000
#352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 80,932
First available Census row
Per 100,000 30.00
Uncommon Last name
Fletcher
An occupational surname referring to a person who made arrows, or more specifically, attached feathers to arrows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 91,549 Americans carry the last name Fletcher. That puts it at #397 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fletcher 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fletcher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
92K
1 in 3,744
Census rank
#397
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
80K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 79,835 bearers of the surname Fletcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 397th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fletcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fletcher
The surname Fletcher has its origins in England, deriving from the Old English word 'flechere', which means an arrowsmith or maker of arrows. This occupation-based surname first emerged in the 12th century and was widespread across medieval England.
The name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest records of English surnames. This document lists individuals such as William le Flechere from Oxfordshire and John le Flecchere from Norfolk. The prefix 'le' was commonly used to denote the bearer's occupation or status.
In later centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, including Fletscher, Flecher, and Flitcher. Some of these regional spellings were based on local dialects and pronunciations. For instance, the Flitsher spelling was found in Yorkshire during the 15th century.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Fletcher surname. However, it does list individuals with similar occupational names, such as 'Arcarius' (arrowsmith) and 'Sagittarius' (archer).
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Fletcher surname was Sir Walter Fletcher, who lived in the 13th century and served as the Lord of Roche Abbey in Yorkshire. Another notable figure was Richard Fletcher, a 14th-century English archer who fought in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, Giles Fletcher (1549-1611) was a renowned English poet and diplomat who served as an ambassador to Russia. His brother, Phineas Fletcher (1582-1650), was also a celebrated poet and author of the allegorical work 'The Purple Island'.
During the English Civil War, Sir Robert Fletcher (1592-1677) was a prominent Parliamentarian and served as the Governor of Portsmouth. He played a crucial role in defending the city against Royalist forces.
In the 18th century, Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (1653-1716) was a Scottish writer, politician, and patriot who advocated for the preservation of Scottish independence and constitutional liberties.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the Fletcher surname, which has been firmly rooted in English and British culture for centuries, reflecting the rich occupational heritage of arrowsmithing and archery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fletcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Fletcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fletcher 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 Fletcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.8% · 55,719
- Black or African American20.7% · 16,557
- Two or more races4.4% · 3,520
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 2,898
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 579
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 562
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fletcher
Fletcher appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 83,063
+2,131 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 28.16
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 79,835
-3,228 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 26.71
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #352 | 80,932 | 30.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #382 | 83,063 | 28.16 | +2,131 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #397 | 79,835 | 26.71 | -3,228 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 15 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 Fletcher 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 | #382 | #397 | -3.9% |
| Count | 83,063 | 79,835 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 28.16 | 26.71 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fletcher bearers went from 83,063 to 79,835 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #382 to #397.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fletcher
FAQ
Fletcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fletcher?
Name Census estimates that about 91,549 living Americans carry the surname Fletcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,744 residents.
How common is Fletcher?
Fletcher ranks #397 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 27 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 79,835 people with the surname Fletcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (91,549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 27 of them to have the surname Fletcher.
Has Fletcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fletcher went from 83,063 recorded bearers to 79,835. That is a decrease of 3,228 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #382 to #397.
What does the Census say about the background of Fletcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fletcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Fletcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (55,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fletcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.8%), Black (20.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Fletcher (2000, 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 Fletcher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made arrows, or more specifically, attached feathers to arrows. 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 Fletcher (26.71 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 are called Fletcher?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Fletcher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.