2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Blacha
A surname rooted in Polish and Czech geography or metalworking professions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Blacha. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blacha surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Blacha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blacha, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blacha
The surname Blacha is of Polish origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "blach," which referred to a metalworker or tinsmith. This connection suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who worked with metal, perhaps a blacksmith or an artisan skilled in metalcraft.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Blacha can be found in historical records from the 15th century in various regions of Poland. One of the earliest known individuals bearing this name was Jan Blacha, a metalsmith who lived in the town of Krakow in the late 1400s.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in legal documents and parish records from various parts of Poland, including the regions of Lesser Poland, Silesia, and Masovia. One notable figure from this era was Maciej Blacha, a respected artisan and metalworker who lived in the city of Lublin in the mid-1500s.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Blacha surname continued to be prevalent across Poland, with various branches of the family emerging in different regions. One notable individual was Jakub Blacha, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Poznan in the late 1600s.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, the Blacha surname became associated with skilled workers in the emerging metalworking and manufacturing industries. One notable figure from this era was Franciszek Blacha, a renowned metalsmith and factory owner who lived in the city of Lodz in the mid-1800s.
Throughout history, the Blacha surname has been recorded with various spellings, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic variations. Some alternative spellings include Blach, Blacha, and Blaha.
Other notable individuals bearing the Blacha surname include:
1. Kazimierz Blacha (1870-1942), a Polish engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of early aircraft designs.
2. Joanna Blacha (1865-1935), a Polish writer and poet who gained recognition for her romantic poetry and prose.
3. Władysław Blacha (1892-1972), a Polish painter and artist renowned for his landscape and portrait paintings.
4. Stefan Blacha (1905-1987), a Polish military officer and resistance fighter during World War II.
5. Mieczysław Blacha (1928-2001), a Polish composer and musician known for his contributions to contemporary classical music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blacha
Among Census respondents with the surname Blacha, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Blacha bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Blacha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 99
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blacha
Blacha appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+25 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,632 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-23 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,960 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +25 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 14,632 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 20,960 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Blacha surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #131,379 | #152,339 | -16.0% |
| Count | 129 | 106 | -17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blacha bearers went from 129 to 106 (-17.8% change). The surname moved down 20,960 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #152,339.
FAQ
Blacha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blacha?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Blacha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Blacha?
Blacha ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Blacha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Blacha.
Has Blacha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blacha went from 129 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Blacha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blacha, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Black (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blacha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blacha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Black (2.8%), Hispanic (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Blacha (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Blacha mean?
A surname rooted in Polish and Czech geography or metalworking professions. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Blacha (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Blacha?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Blacha is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.