Show ContentsFlanders History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Flanders family

The surname Flanders was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1191 when Euerdai Flanders held estates.

Early History of the Flanders family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flanders research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1154, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Flanders History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flanders Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Flanders has been recorded under many different variations, including Flanders, Flandres, Flinders, Flindres and others.

Early Notables of the Flanders family

Distinguished members of the family include

Flanders Ranking

In the United States, the name Flanders is the 3,189th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1


United States Flanders migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Flanders or a variant listed above:

Flanders Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Stephen Flanders, who landed in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1651 2
  • Michaell Flanders, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 2
Flanders Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Flanders, who arrived in Virginia in 1755 2
Flanders Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Benjamin Flanders, who settled in New York, NY in 1824
  • A. Flanders, who settled in San Francisco in 1850
  • C. Flanders, who settled in San Francisco in 1850
  • A Flanders, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • S B Flanders, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Flanders Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • C. E. Flanders, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1903
  • Albert Flanders, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1903
  • Alvan Flanders, aged 55, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
  • Edgar Flanders, who landed in America, in 1906
  • Clarence E. Flanders, aged 34, who landed in America, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Flanders migration to Australia +

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

Flanders Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Flanders (post 1700) +

  • Holly Flanders (1957-1980), American alpine skier at the 1980 and 1984 Winter Olympics
  • Benjamin Franklin Flanders (1816-1896), American politician, 21st Governor of Louisiana (1870 to 1872)
  • Laura Flanders (b. 1961), British-American broadcast journalist
  • Ralph Edward Flanders (1880-1970), American mechanical engineer, industrialist and Republican U.S. Senator from Vermont (1946 to 1959)
  • Ed Flanders (1934-1995), American three-time Primetime Emmy Award winning film and television actor from California, best known for his role as "Dr. Donald Westphall" on St. Elsewhere
  • Earl Leon Flanders (b. 1888), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives, 1939, 1945; Member of Vermont State Senate from Orange County, 1947 5
  • Earl K. Flanders, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Jefferson County, 1933 5
  • Carroll W. Flanders, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Bow, 1948 5
  • Benjamin Franklin Flanders (1816-1896), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Louisiana at-large, 1862-63; Governor of Louisiana; Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1870-72 5
  • Austin H. Flanders, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Carmel, Indiana, 1957-75 (acting, 1957-58) 5
  • ... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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