Blease
Possible ancient English name meaning "dark complexion".
Name Census estimates that about 32 living Americans carry the first name Blease. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Blease today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Blease births was 1913 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Blease. 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
- • The typical person named Blease is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bleases were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Blease. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
32
~ 1 in 10,711,073 Americans
Peak year
1913
20 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1961 SSA rank
#2,917
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Blease: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Blease from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 115 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Blease 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 Blease during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bleases live
Origin
Meaning and history of Blease
The name Blease is of English origin, first appearing in the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "blæse," meaning "blaze" or "flame," referring to a person with a fiery or passionate temperament.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blease can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, where a child named Blease Merrick was baptized in 1587. The name remained relatively uncommon throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, but gained some popularity in certain regions of England, particularly in the Midlands and northern counties.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the name Blease was Sir Blease Wolseley (1811-1887), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Another individual of note was Blease Thorn (1836-1912), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Manchester, including the Manchester Cathedral and the Manchester Town Hall extension.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals named Blease was Cole Blease (1868-1942), an American politician who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1911 to 1915. He was known for his controversial and often inflammatory rhetoric, particularly on issues related to race relations and states' rights.
Another noteworthy figure was Blease A. Perry (1902-1983), an American lawyer and judge who served as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee from 1962 to 1983. He played a significant role in several high-profile civil rights cases during the 1960s.
Finally, Blease Graham (1924-2006) was a British actor and playwright who appeared in several notable films and television shows throughout his career, including "The Avengers," "Doctor Who," and "The Sweeney."
While the name Blease has never been widespread, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in England and the United States, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, including politics, law, architecture, and the arts.
People
Blease + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Blease 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
Blease: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Blease?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Blease 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 10,711,073 US residents.
Is Blease a common name?
We classify Blease as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 201 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Blease most popular?
The single biggest year for Blease was 1913, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Blease is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Blease in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Blease a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Blease 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 Blease still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Blease 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 Blease 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Blease?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.