The Flatt surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,068 people carried this name — #6,664 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 58,100 people counted. That is up 1% from 4,994 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Flatt surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the flat’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 291 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 53 people named Flatt live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in La Pampa.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

La Pampa 23
Entre Ríos 18
Buenos Aires Province 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

40 people named Flatt live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 18
Vaud 6
Bern 5
Fribourg 5
Neuchâtel 3
Solothurn 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Flatt was found among the farmers of Norfolk: 9 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Norfolk 9

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Flatt in American newspapers,
1915–1918.

Newspaper page from Jackson County Sentinel carrying the name Flatt
Jackson County Sentinel 1917-07-05
Newspaper page from Jackson County Sentinel carrying the name Flatt
Jackson County Sentinel 1918-06-13
Newspaper page from The Hickman Courier carrying the name Flatt
The Hickman Courier 1915-05-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 24,741 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Flatt in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

1,566 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Flatt. The most, 251, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 933
South Australia 188
Queensland 161
Victoria 159
Western Australia 99
Tasmania 19
ACT (Canberra) 3
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Flatt.

Who carried it

People named Flatt,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Johann Friedrich Flatt
    Johann Friedrich Flatt 1759–1821 · university teacher
  • Jerzy Beniamin Flatt
    Jerzy Beniamin Flatt 1768–1860 · agronomist
  • Gizella Flatt-Győrffy
    Gizella Flatt-Győrffy 1870–1943 · opera singer
  • Lester Flatt
    Lester Flatt 1914–1979 · singer
  • Lester Flatt
    Lester Flatt 1914–1979 · singer
  • Endre Flatt 1817–1885 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Flatt,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States298 records

298 records of the Flatt name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 139
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 45
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 43
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 28
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 24
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 19
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Philipp Flatt

    Arrived at Baltimore in 1851 aboard the Adolphine from Bremen, aged 24; shoemaker. From Hesse Nassau, Germany; bound for Milwaukee.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Virgil H. Flatt

    Born 1908 in Texas. Enlisted 1941 at Dallas; painter from Dallas County.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Michael Neil Flatt

    U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1953, died 1998; buried at Fort Smith National Cemetery, Arkansas.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 298 records for Flatt in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia59 records

59 records of the Flatt name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 36
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 8
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 7
  • Tasmanian Names Index 5
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 3
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Charles Flatt

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Triton, sailing from London in 1842. Native of Hampton, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850. Married 1850 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Benjamin Flatt

    Arrived in Queensland in 1889 aboard the Merkara, aged 20.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edward John Flatt

    Retired of East Malvern, Victoria; died 1979.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 59 records for Flatt in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Germany17 records

17 records of the Flatt name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 14
  • German emigration and citizenship files 3
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johann Flatt

    From Taberwiese, Rastenburg. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 27 November 1916.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Katharina Flatt

    Left Denzlingen for America in 1873.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Ottmar Flatt

    Left Konstanz for North America in 1856.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Flatt in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada13 records

13 records of the Flatt name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Flatt

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Canadian, landing at Quebec, bound for Milton, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bertie Thomas Flatt

    Died 1965; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Alfred Flatt

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 13 records for Flatt in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Flatt name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. J. Flatt

    Suffolk Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Flatt

    London Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. E. Flatt

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Flatt in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France2 records

2 records of the Flatt name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jules Arnold Victor Flatt

    Born 1910 in Strasbourg; died 1981 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marie Catherine Flatt

    Born 1896 in Strasbourg; died 1977 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Flatt.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Flatt is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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