Find out how popular the last name Blackmore is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Blackmore.

Blackmore, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Blackmore surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blackmore in America

Blackmore is the 8944th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blackmore surname appeared 3,660 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Blackmore.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blackmore to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Blackmore

The surname Blackmore is of English origin, derived from a place name that first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Blachemanmere", meaning "the pool or lake by the dark man's land". It is believed to have originated in the county of Somerset in southwestern England.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Blackmore dates back to the 13th century, when a John de Blakemore is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. In the same century, a Walter de Blakemor is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, including Blakemor, Blakemore, Blackmore, and Blackamore. These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Blackmore was Sir Richard Blackmore (c. 1654-1729), an English poet and physician. He was known for his epic poems "Prince Arthur" and "Creation", as well as his satirical works criticizing the vices of his time.

Another prominent figure was John Blackmore (1767-1825), an English civil engineer who designed and oversaw the construction of several important canals and harbors in the early 19th century, including the Ellesmere Canal and the Bridgewater Canal.

In the literary world, Richard Doddridge Blackmore (1825-1900) was a renowned English novelist, best known for his novel "Lorna Doone", a historical romance set in the English countryside during the 17th century.

The surname Blackmore also has connections to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Blackmore (c. 1620-1690), an English Puritan who immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s and became a respected landowner and citizen of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Another notable American with the surname Blackmore was William Blackmore (1827-1904), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who served with distinction and rose to the rank of Brigadier General.

Throughout history, the surname Blackmore has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from writers and poets to engineers, soldiers, and landowners. Its enduring presence across centuries and continents reflects the rich tapestry of English heritage and the diverse paths taken by those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blackmore

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Blackmore.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Blackmore was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Blackmore has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Blackmore was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Blackmore, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!