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

Bladen, 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 Bladen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bladen in America

Bladen is the 35203rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bladen surname appeared 640 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bladen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bladen 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 Bladen

The surname Bladen is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "blæd" meaning "plant, fruit, or harvest" and "denu" meaning "valley". This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone who lived in a fertile valley or near an abundant crop field.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1197, where a person named Richard de Bladene is mentioned. This indicates that the name was present in the region of Gloucestershire during the late 12th century.

The surname Bladen also appears in various historical documents and records throughout the following centuries. For instance, in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a William de Bladene from Oxfordshire. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a John de Bladyn.

During the 14th century, the name began to appear in various spellings, such as Bladen, Bladon, and Bladyn. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in written records at the time.

One notable figure associated with the surname Bladen was Thomas Bladen (1618-1675), an English soldier and landowner from Leicestershire. He served as a colonel in the Royalist army during the English Civil War and was later granted lands in Virginia, where he established the Bladen family's presence in the American colonies.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Martin Bladen (1680-1746), an English politician and diplomat who served as Ambassador to Spain and later as a Member of Parliament. He played a significant role in negotiating the Treaty of Seville in 1729, which aimed to resolve territorial disputes between Britain and Spain.

In the 18th century, the surname Bladen was also associated with places like Bladen County in North Carolina, which was named after Martin Bladen, as well as the town of Bladensburg in Maryland, named after Thomas Bladen's son, Thomas Bladen Jr.

Other notable figures with the surname Bladen include William Bladen (1672-1718), an English merchant and member of the Council of Trade and Plantations, and Henrietta Bladen (1699-1781), an English novelist and playwright known for her works such as "The Memoirs of Eros Vinlove" and "The Prussian Heroine".

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bladen

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

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

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

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