Contents [hide]

Flowers History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Flowers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Anglo-Saxon name Flowers come from its first bearer, who was a beautiful person or perhaps of someone with a flowery personality. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old French word flur (which appears in Old English flur and flour), which meant flower. It could also be occupational; in the Middle Ages the word for flower and flour were the same, and might denote a maker of flour. This occupation usually shows up in a surname as Miller, though. Another occupation that could be indicated by this name is that of the fletcher, or maker of arrows. This is derived from the Old English word floer, from the Old English fla, which meant arrow. 1

Early Origins of the Flowers family

The surname Flowers was first found in Devon where John le Floer and William Floere were both listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 2 "The London Directory exhibits more than a quarter of a hundred of traders bearing this beautiful surname." 3

Further to the north in Yorkshire, William Flur was recorded there in the Pipe Rolls of 1203 and later, Edmund Flour was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1313. 4

Later again, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Johanna Floure and Matilda Flowre. 2

Early History of the Flowers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flowers research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1300, 1367, 1379, 1386, 1387, 1400, 1428, 1498, 1588, 1624, 1658, 1674 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Flowers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flowers Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Flowers has been spelled many different ways, including Flowers, Flower and others.

Early Notables of the Flowers family

Notables of the family at this time include Roger Flower (d. 1428?), Speaker of the House of Commons, son of William Flower, Sheriff of Rutland in 1386-1387. William Flower (1498?-1588), was Norroy king of arms, born at York about 1498 and was...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Flowers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flowers Ranking

In the United States, the name Flowers is the 399^th most popular surname with an estimated 69,636 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Flowers family to Ireland

Some of the Flowers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flowers migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Flowerss to arrive in North America:

Flowers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Flowers, who landed in Virginia in 1656 6
William Flowers, who landed in Virginia in 1663 6
Thomas Flowers, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 6
Richard Flowers, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 6

Flowers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Flowers, who arrived in New England in 1725 6
Josiah Flowers, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 6
Elisha Flowers, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 6
Ezehiel Flowers, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 6

Flowers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Flowers, who arrived in New York in 1832 6
W W Flowers, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
O L Flowers, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6

Flowers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Flowers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Flowers, who landed in Quebec in 1784

Flowers migration to Australia +

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

Flowers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Flowers, (b. 1789), aged 26, English carpenter who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1822 7
Mr. James Flowers, English convict who was convicted in Ely (Isle of Ely), Cambridgeshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Randle Knight Flowers, (Randall), (b. 1816), aged 26, English farm labourer who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
George Flowers, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 10
John Flowers, English Convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11

Flowers 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:

Flowers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ann Flowers, aged 26, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
Francis Flowers, aged 2, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
Mr. Thomas Flowers, (b. 1860), aged 18, Cornish farm labourer departing on 7th September 1878 aboard the ship "Opawa" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 7th December 1878 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Flowers (post 1700) +

Edwin F. Flowers (1930-2022), American lawyer, civil servant, and jurist, Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia from September 8, 1975 to December 31, 1976
Wayland Flowers (1939-1988), American puppeteer
Jake Flowers (1902-1962), American baseball player for the Cardinals and others
Brandon Flowers (b. 1986), American defensive back for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team
Ben Flowers (b. 1927), American baseball pitcher who played for several major league teams
Mary Flowers, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1996 13
Joseph Flowers, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 2008 13
J. W. Flowers, American Democratic Party politician, National Democratic Candidate for Presidential Elector for Alabama, 1972 13
J. Morgan Flowers, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1944 13
Harold Flowers, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Arkansas, 1956 13
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TRAFALGAR 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Trafalgar-March.htm
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html