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

Blackwelder, 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 Blackwelder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blackwelder in America

Blackwelder is the 12017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blackwelder surname appeared 2,598 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 Blackwelder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blackwelder 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 Blackwelder

The surname Blackwelder has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the German words "schwarz" meaning black and "walden" meaning to rule over or govern. The name likely referred to a person who worked as a forester or who lived near a heavily wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blackwelder can be found in the municipal records of the city of Nuremberg in 1389, where a Hans Blackwelder is mentioned as a resident. Around the same time period, the name also appears in various other German cities and towns, with slightly different spellings such as Schwarzwalder and Schwarzwaelder.

During the late 15th century, the Blackwelder family is believed to have spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. In the 16th century, some members of the family migrated to England, where the name was anglicized to Blackwelder.

One notable Blackwelder from this period was Johann Blackwelder, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1522 to 1586. His intricate woodcuts and etchings depicting religious scenes and allegorical figures were highly prized during his lifetime.

Another early bearer of the name was Hans Blackwelder, a Swiss mercenary who fought in the Thirty Years' War from 1618 to 1648. He is mentioned in several military records and chronicles of the time for his bravery on the battlefield.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Blackwelder family settled in the German city of Heidelberg, where they became prominent merchants and traders. One member of this family, Heinrich Blackwelder (1632-1701), is recorded as having been a respected alderman and civic leader in the city.

As the Blackwelder name spread across Europe, it also began to appear in various place names and toponyms. For example, the village of Schwarzwalddorf in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is believed to have been named after a Blackwelder family that lived in the area.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Blackwelder surname had become well-established in various parts of Europe and North America, with descendants of the original German families continuing to carry on the name and its rich historical legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blackwelder

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

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 Blackwelder 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 Blackwelder 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 Blackwelder was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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