Blane
Possibly derived from an English surname meaning "bare, bleak hill".
Name Census estimates that about 3,935 living Americans carry the first name Blane. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Blane today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Blane births was 1957 (114 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Blane. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
3.9K
~ 1 in 87,104 Americans
Peak year
1957
114 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,521
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Blane
Out of the 4,431 babies given the name Blane since 1880, 99.8% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Blane as a male name
- Ranked #3,521 in 2024
- 32 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1957 (114 births)
Blane as a female name
- Ranked #15,799 in 2007
- 6 female births in 2007
- Peak: 2007 (6 births)
Popularity
Blane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Blane from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 854 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Blane by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Blane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Blanes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 27 states and territories. Texas, California, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Blane, while Utah, Maryland, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 48 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Blane
The name Blane is of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the word "bàn" meaning "white" or "fair." It has its roots in the ancient Celtic cultures of Scotland and Ireland, where it was likely used as a descriptive name for a person with fair hair or a pale complexion.
In ancient Scottish and Irish texts, the name Blane is often associated with notable historical figures and saints. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Saint Blane, a 6th-century Scottish missionary and bishop who established several churches and monasteries in the region. His feast day is celebrated on August 10th in the Catholic Church.
During the Middle Ages, the name Blane gained popularity among Scottish and Irish nobility. One notable bearer was Blane McDougall, a 13th-century Scottish nobleman and chief of the Clan MacDougall. He played a significant role in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.
In the 16th century, a Scottish poet and satirist named Blane Willox gained recognition for his biting critiques of the Scottish nobility and clergy. His works were widely circulated and helped shape the literary culture of the time.
In more recent history, Blane Mukherjee was an influential Indian businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1917 to 2003. He founded several successful companies and was known for his charitable contributions to education and healthcare initiatives.
Another notable figure with the name Blane is Blane Muise, a Canadian ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1980s and 1990s. He was born in 1964 and played for several teams, including the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers.
While the name Blane is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the cultural heritage of Scotland and Ireland, reflecting the rich history and traditions of these regions.
People
Blane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Blane as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Blane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Blane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,935 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Blane going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 87,104 US residents.
Is Blane a common name?
We classify Blane as "Rare". It ranks above 96% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,431 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Blane most popular?
The single biggest year for Blane was 1957, when 114 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Blane is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Blane a male name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Blane in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.