2000
#1,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,711
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.68
Uncommon Last name
Blackmon
An English surname referring to a person with dark hair, dark skin, or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,403 Americans carry the last name Blackmon. That puts it at #1,645 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,046 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blackmon 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
24K
1 in 14,046
Census rank
#1,645
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,281 bearers of the surname Blackmon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1645th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (45.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blackmon
The surname Blackmon has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, referring to a person who hailed from a place called "Blackmun" or "Blackman's Land." The name is derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning "black" and "mann" meaning "man" or "person."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Blacman in Gloucestershire. The spelling variations of the name during this time included Blackman, Blackmon, Blackmun, and Blakeman.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard Blackmun residing in Somerset, while a Walter Blackmon was documented in Yorkshire in the early 14th century. During the same period, a John Blackmun was listed as a resident of Oxfordshire.
The name Blackmon has also been associated with various places in England, such as Blackmun's Farm in Dorset and Blackmun's Croft in Lancashire. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Sir John Blackmon (1550-1624), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury.
2. William Blackmon (1675-1742), a prominent merchant and landowner in colonial Virginia, USA.
3. Reverend Thomas Blackmon (1720-1798), an English clergyman and author of several religious texts.
4. Elizabeth Blackmon (1782-1856), a British philanthropist and advocate for women's education.
5. James Blackmon (1819-1892), an American Civil War soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his valor at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Throughout its history, the Blackmon surname has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, politics, religion, and military service. The name has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly the United States, due to migration and immigration from England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blackmon
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (45.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Blackmon 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 Blackmon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.0% · 9,792
- Black or African American45.2% · 9,625
- Two or more races5.1% · 1,075
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 594
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blackmon
Blackmon 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
#1,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,130
+1,419 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 7.50
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#1,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,281
-849 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 7.12
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,589 | 20,711 | 7.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,628 | 22,130 | 7.50 | +1,419 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #1,645 | 21,281 | 7.12 | -849 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 17 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 Blackmon 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 | #1,628 | #1,645 | -1.0% |
| Count | 22,130 | 21,281 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.50 | 7.12 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blackmon bearers went from 22,130 to 21,281 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,628 to #1,645.
FAQ
Blackmon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blackmon?
Name Census estimates that about 24,403 living Americans carry the surname Blackmon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,046 residents.
How common is Blackmon?
Blackmon ranks #1,645 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,281 people with the surname Blackmon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,403), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Blackmon.
Has Blackmon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blackmon went from 22,130 recorded bearers to 21,281. That is a decrease of 849 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,628 to #1,645.
What does the Census say about the background of Blackmon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackmon, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (45.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Blackmon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (9,792 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blackmon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.0%), Black (45.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Blackmon (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 Blackmon mean?
An English surname referring to a person with dark hair, dark skin, or a dark complexion. 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 Blackmon (7.12 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 Blackmon?
You can see how many people are called Blackmon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.