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

Blackwell, 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 Blackwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blackwell in America

Blackwell is the 741st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blackwell surname appeared 47,175 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Blackwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blackwell 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 Blackwell

The surname Blackwell has its origins in England, emerging in the late 11th century during the Norman conquest of Britain. The name is derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning black and "well" meaning a spring or stream, likely referring to a dark-colored body of water near where the first bearers lived.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, with entries for individuals bearing the surname Blackwell in various counties across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Buckinghamshire. These early mentions suggest the name was already well-established in different regions of the country by the late 11th century.

The first recorded individual with the surname Blackwell was Robert Blackwell, who was born in 1125 in Derbyshire, England. Another notable early bearer was Sir John Blackwell, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Somerset in the late 13th century.

Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the Blackwell surname continued to spread across England, with various spellings appearing in historical records, such as Blakwell, Blacqwell, and Blaccwelle. Certain branches of the family adopted the name as a reference to their place of residence, leading to variants like Blackwell of Derbyshire and Blackwell of Yorkshire.

In the 16th century, George Blackwell, born in 1545 in Oxfordshire, became a renowned scholar and theologian, serving as the Principal of St. Alban Hall at the University of Oxford. Another notable figure was Thomas Blackwell, a Scottish writer and classical scholar born in 1701, who published influential works on Greek literature and mythology.

During the 18th century, Sir Lambert Blackwell, born in 1720 in Kent, gained prominence as a successful merchant and politician, serving as a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London. Alongside him, Elizabeth Blackwell, born in 1707 in Bristol, made significant contributions as a pioneering botanist and author of the influential work "A Curious Herbal."

As the centuries progressed, the Blackwell surname continued to be associated with various notable individuals across various fields, including politics, academia, and the arts, solidifying its legacy as a prominent English surname with deep historical roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blackwell

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Blackwell, 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!