2000
#8,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Blackshear
An English occupational surname referring to someone who shears or cuts black cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,494 Americans carry the last name Blackshear. That puts it at #8,096 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blackshear 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
4.5K
1 in 76,269
Census rank
#8,096
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,919 bearers of the surname Blackshear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8096th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackshear, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.4%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blackshear
The surname BLACKSHEAR has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from a location or place name, possibly a small village or hamlet. The name likely derives from the Old English words "blæc" meaning "black" and "scear" meaning "a share or portion," suggesting a connection to a piece of dark-colored or fertile land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BLACKSHEAR can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was well-established in certain regions of England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the spelling, such as "Blakeshere" and "Blakesheare," appeared in various records and documents, reflecting the evolution of the name over time. Some notable individuals bearing the BLACKSHEAR surname from this period include John Blackshear, a landowner in Gloucestershire mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1327, and William Blackshear, a merchant from Bristol recorded in the city's trade records in 1391.
As the centuries progressed, the BLACKSHEAR name spread across different parts of England, and some members of the family migrated to other regions or countries. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Blackshear (1560-1622), a military officer who served in the English army during the reign of Elizabeth I and was knighted for his service in the Netherlands.
In the 17th century, the BLACKSHEAR surname made its way to the American colonies, with several individuals bearing the name appearing in early colonial records. One such individual was Edward Blackshear (1623-1687), a farmer and landowner who settled in Virginia in the mid-1600s and is considered one of the earliest ancestors of many BLACKSHEAR families in the United States.
Another notable figure from this time period was Captain John Blackshear (1670-1742), a British naval officer who later became a prominent figure in the colonial government of South Carolina. He served as a member of the Governor's Council and played a significant role in the development of the colony.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the BLACKSHEAR surname continued to be present in various parts of the United States, with families establishing roots in states such as Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. One notable individual from this era was General Edmund Blackshear (1766-1827), a military officer and politician who served in the Georgia state legislature and was involved in the Creek War of 1813-1814.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blackshear
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackshear, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.4%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Blackshear 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 Blackshear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.4% · 2,524
- White24.3% · 952
- Two or more races5.8% · 227
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blackshear
Blackshear 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
#8,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,995
+362 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 77 places
2020
#8,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,919
-76 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,370 | 3,633 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,293 | 3,995 | 1.35 | +362 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 77 places |
| 2020 | #8,096 | 3,919 | 1.31 | -76 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 197 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 Blackshear 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 | #8,293 | #8,096 | 2.4% |
| Count | 3,995 | 3,919 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.31 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blackshear bearers went from 3,995 to 3,919 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 197 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,293 to #8,096.
FAQ
Blackshear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blackshear?
Name Census estimates that about 4,494 living Americans carry the surname Blackshear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,269 residents.
How common is Blackshear?
Blackshear ranks #8,096 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,919 people with the surname Blackshear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,494), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Blackshear.
Has Blackshear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blackshear went from 3,995 recorded bearers to 3,919. That is a decrease of 76 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,293 to #8,096.
What does the Census say about the background of Blackshear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blackshear, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.4%. The next largest groups are White (24.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blackshear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.4% (2,524 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blackshear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (64.4%), White (24.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Blackshear (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 Blackshear mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who shears or cuts black cloth. 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 Blackshear (1.31 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 many Americans have the surname Blackshear?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.