According to the oldest written mentions, namely Vlerike in 1220 and Flerike in 1251, the name can be interpreted as follows:
Vled = lilac, rike = rich, thus rich in lilacs, mhd.
vlat, fläke = beauty, daintiness, cleanliness, mhd.
fläge, flege = handsome, well-fed, Westphalian history
According to archaeological finds in the vicinity, a settlement of the region with sedentary people is documented already at the end of the middle and during the younger Stone Age. Flerke is first mentioned in writing in the Westphalian records in 1220, where it is documented that Diederich de Vlerike was given a farm together with arable land in hereditary lease. In the "Heimatbuch der Gemeinde Flerke" (local history book of the municipality of Flerke) documentary mentions of Flerke are listed through the centuries up to modern times. They prove the continuous settlement and a certain importance due to the existence of the "Freistuhl" in the 12th and 13th century. The lords of the chair were the counts of Rüdenberg and then the city of Soest.