Blass
A masculine given name derived from the French word for pale or blond.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Blass. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Blass today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Blass births was 2000 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Blass. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Blass. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2000
5 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2000 SSA rank
#10,546
Tracked since 2000
Census
Blass in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 110 people with the first name Blass, which placed it at #51,979 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#51,979
National first-name rank
People counted
110
110 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
90.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blass
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Blass is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Blass described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Blass at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.0% · 99
- Black or African American5.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- White0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Popularity
Blass: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Blass 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 Blass during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Blass
The given name Blass has its origins in the Germanic language family, specifically deriving from the Old German word "blās" or "blas," which translates to "pale" or "light-colored." It is believed to have emerged as a personal name during the Middle Ages, likely used to describe someone with a fair complexion or light hair color.
In its early usage, the name Blass was predominantly found in regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, where Germanic languages were spoken. Over time, it spread to other parts of Europe, particularly in areas influenced by German culture and migration patterns.
While there are no known direct references to the name Blass in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was used informally or locally during the medieval period. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various historical records and documents from German-speaking regions.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Blass was Blasius of Parma (c. 1225-1292), an Italian theologian and philosopher. He was a member of the Franciscan order and is known for his contributions to medieval scholastic thought.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Wilhelm Blass (1843-1907), a German classical scholar and philologist. He made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature and language, publishing numerous works on the subject.
In the realm of arts and literature, Blasius Höfel (1792-1863), a German writer and poet, gained recognition for his works in the Romantic era. His poetic style was influenced by the German Romantic movement and celebrated nature and folklore.
In the field of science, Blasius Merrem (1761-1824) was a German naturalist and herpetologist. He is known for his contributions to the classification and study of reptiles, as well as his work on the taxonomy of various animal species.
Lastly, Blasius Kolb (c. 1670-1723) was a German Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled to North America in the late 17th century. He documented his experiences and observations among Native American tribes, providing valuable insights into their cultures and way of life.
These examples demonstrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have borne the name Blass throughout history, spanning various fields and time periods. While the name may have originated as a descriptive term, it has evolved into a personal name with a rich heritage and cultural significance.
People
Blass + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Blass 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
Blass: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Blass?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Blass 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Blass a common name?
We classify Blass as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Blass most popular?
The single biggest year for Blass was 2000, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Blass is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Blass in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 110 people with the name Blass, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #51,979 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Blass in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Blass?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Blass leans strongly male. 108 people counted with this name were male (98.2%), compared with 2 female bearers (1.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Blass?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Blass is Hispanic at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Blass most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Blass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (99 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Blass in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Blass a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Blass 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.
Is Blass still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Blass in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Blass can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Blass as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Blass on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.