Where Does the Last Name Fleming Come From

Fleming History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Fleming is a name that originated amongst the industrious people of Flanders The name came to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman settlers that followed the Strongbow led invasions of 1171 and 1172.

The Fleming name is derived from the Old French word "flamanc," which means a " Flemish person" or simply a "Fleming."

Early Origins of the Fleming family

The surname Fleming was first found in the eastern Irish county of Meath. There, the family acquired considerable estates and built the Castle Slane.

In the early days there was much movement throughout what is now known as the British Isles. We note this entry for the family in Saltash, Cornwall: "This manor, which extends its jurisdiction into several parishes in Cornwall and Devonshire, belonged formerly to the ancient family of Fleming in Devonshire, Barons of Slane in Ireland. By the sons of a sister, and one of the co-heiresses of the Fleming family, it was sold in the sixteenth century to Thomas Wyvell, Esq. from whose family it passed by a female heir to the ancestor of Francis Wills, Esq. of Saltash, the present proprietor. " ^[1]

"It is probable that Manely Fleming [in the parish of St. Veep, Cornwall] belonged originally to the ancient family of Flemings, since they bear one common name." ^[1]

Early History of the Fleming family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fleming research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1404, 1416, 1542, 1590, 1593, 1665, 1599 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Fleming History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Early Notables of the Fleming family (pre 1700)

Of note in the family at this time was Nicholas Fleming, Archbishop of Armagh from 1404 to 1416, best known for his "Fleming's Register"; Rev. Richard Fleming, SJ (1542-1590), professor of philosophy in Paris, regarded as...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fleming Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fleming World Ranking

In the United States, the name Fleming is the 258^th most popular surname with an estimated 101,967 people with that name. ^[2] However, in Canada, the name Fleming is ranked the 359^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,664 people with that name. ^[3] And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Fleming is the 196^th popular surname with an estimated 212 people with that name. ^[4] Australia ranks Fleming as 212^nd with 15,680 people. ^[5] New Zealand ranks Fleming as 182^nd with 3,010 people. ^[6] The United Kingdom ranks Fleming as 286^th with 21,268 people. ^[7]

Fleming migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fleming Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Fleming, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1616 ^[8]
Richard Fleming, who settled in Virginia in 1635
Abraham Fleming, who arrived in Boston in 1635
Abram Fleming, aged 40, who landed in New England in 1635 ^[8]
Elizabeth Fleming, who settled in Virginia in 1650
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fleming Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alex Fleming, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 ^[8]
Ja Fleming, who landed in Virginia in 1705 ^[8]
Martha Fleming, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 ^[8]
Joseph Fleming, who arrived in New England in 1718 ^[8]
Lawrence Fleming, who arrived in Virginia in 1730 ^[8]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fleming Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Margaret Fleming, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 ^[8]
Helen Fleming, who arrived in Georgia in 1806 ^[8]
Beatrice Fleming, who emigrated from Scotland to Georgia in 1806
Beatrice Fleming, who arrived in Georgia in 1806 ^[8]
John B Fleming, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1812 ^[8]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fleming migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fleming Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Joseph Fleming, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. James Fleming U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 he is listed with the Loyalists and Disbanded Soldiers whose names appear as Passamaquoddy New Brunswick Loyalists ^[9]

Fleming Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Fleming, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1813
James Fleming, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814
Mary Fleming, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1819
Charles Fleming, who arrived in Canada in 1820
Margaret Fleming, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Maria" from Cork, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fleming migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fleming Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Fleming, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia ^[10]
Mr. Edward Fleming, (b. 1802), aged 18, Irish shoe maker who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as sent on to Newcastle via "Sally" in 1821 ^[11]
Mr. Thomas Fleming, (Hamilton, Robertson), Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania ( Van Diemen's Land) ^[12]
Mr. John Fleming, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania ( Van Diemen's Land) ^[13]
William Fleming, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia ^[14]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fleming migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Fleming Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Fleming, who landed in Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. William Fleming, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 ^[15]
S. Fleming, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st June 1851 ^[15]
S. Fleming, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stately" in 1851
Mr. Michael Fleming, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 ^[16]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fleming (post 1700) +

Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), Scottish biologist and pharmacologist who discovered of penicillin (1928) and shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 ^[17]
Christopher Fleming (1800-1880), Irish surgeon, born at Boardstown in co. Westmeath on 14 July 1800 ^[18]
George Fleming (1937-2021), American multi-position college football player, inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on December 31, 2011
Rhonda Fleming (1923-2020), born Marilyn Louis, an American film and television actress who acted in more than 40 films, nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor"
Dave Fleming (1944-2020), American CFL football player who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1965-1974)
Mr. Andrew Smyth Fleming M.B.E., British Chief Petty Officer Air Engineering Technician (Avionics) was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 17th June 2017
Ms. Margaret Ann Fleming M.B.E., British Chief Executive for Scottish Volleyball Association, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Volleyball ^[19]
Mrs. Sylvia Jane Fleming M.B.E., British Director for Extrordinair, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to the Freight Forwarding Industry and to the Welfare of Animals in Transit ^[19]
Joy Fleming (1944-2017), born Erna Libenow, German singer, best known for her performance in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975
Thomas "Tom" Fleming (1951-2017), American four-time gold medalist marathon runner
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Fleming family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Wilfred Stafford Fleming (1909-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Paddington, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking ^[20]

HMS Repulse

Mr. Ian Fleming (b. 1908), British Lieutenant, who trained on board the HMS Repulse in WW1 had an illustrious career and went on to create "James Bond" ^[21]

HMS Royal Oak

Edward Fleming, British Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking ^[22]

RMS Titanic

Miss Honora "Nora" Fleming (d. 1912), aged 22, Irish Third Class passenger from Carrowskehine, Mayo who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking ^[23]
Miss Margaret Fleming, aged 42, American First Class passenger from Haverford, Pennsylvania who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 4 ^[23]

SS Caribou

Mr. Thomas P. Fleming, (Tommy), British crew member from North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking

SS Newfoundland

Mr. William Fleming (1895-1914), Newfoundlander from Bonavista, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he died during this time

SS Southern Cross

Mr. Cornelius Fleming (1891-1914), Newfoundlander from St. Vincent's who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found

Citations +

^ Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
^ https://namecensus.com/most_common_surnames.htm
^ https://forebears.io/surnames/
^ The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
^ https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
^ https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
^ https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
^ Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
^ Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
^ Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
^ Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
^ Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
^ Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
^ State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
^ New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
^ New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
^ Alexander Fleming. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Alexander Fleming. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming
^ Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
^ "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 4 July 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
^ HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
^ HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
^ Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
^ Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html

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Where Does the Last Name Fleming Come From

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