2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Blacklaw
A locational surname likely from a place with dark-colored soil or a farmstead covered by dark foliage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Blacklaw. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blacklaw 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Blacklaw with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Blacklaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blacklaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blacklaw
The surname Blacklaw has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "blæc," meaning "black," and the Scots word "law," referring to a hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a dark-colored hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Blaklau," indicating its ancient roots and variations in spelling.
In the 14th century, the Blacklaw family held lands in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas of Berwickshire and Roxburghshire. Historical records from this period mention individuals such as John Blacklaw, who was a prominent landowner in Berwickshire around 1380.
During the 16th century, the Blacklaw name appeared in various legal and church documents, including the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. One notable figure was Robert Blacklaw, who served as the Bishop of Glasgow from 1492 to 1508. He played a significant role in the ecclesiastical affairs of Scotland during his tenure.
In the 17th century, the Blacklaw family had a strong presence in the Scottish Lowlands. Sir James Blacklaw, born in 1620, was a respected lawyer and judge who served as a Lord of Session in the Court of Session, the highest civil court in Scotland.
Another prominent figure with the Blacklaw surname was Thomas Blacklaw, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer born in 1671. He made notable contributions to the field of astronomy and served as the Professor of Mathematics at Marischal College, Aberdeen.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Blacklaw name continued to be found in various parts of Scotland, with some members of the family migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One example is William Blacklaw, born in 1807, who became a prominent merchant and philanthropist in Edinburgh, Scotland.
While the Blacklaw surname is not as common today as some other Scottish surnames, it remains a part of Scotland's rich historical and cultural heritage, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era and the Scottish Borders region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blacklaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Blacklaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Blacklaw 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 Blacklaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blacklaw
Blacklaw appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 5,109 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 Blacklaw 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 | #156,044 | #150,935 | 3.3% |
| Count | 104 | 108 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blacklaw bearers went from 104 to 108 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 5,109 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #150,935.
FAQ
Blacklaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blacklaw?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Blacklaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Blacklaw?
Blacklaw ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Blacklaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Blacklaw.
Has Blacklaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blacklaw went from 104 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Blacklaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blacklaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Blacklaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blacklaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (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 Blacklaw (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 Blacklaw mean?
A locational surname likely from a place with dark-colored soil or a farmstead covered by dark foliage. 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 Blacklaw (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 Blacklaw?
Want to know how many people have the last name Blacklaw? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.