2000
#7,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,406
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Blades
An English occupational surname referring to a bladesmith or cutler, one who forges or sells blades.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,965 Americans carry the last name Blades. That puts it at #7,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,034 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blades 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Blades with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,034
Census rank
#7,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,330 bearers of the surname Blades in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blades, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blades
The surname Blades is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word 'blæd', meaning a leaf or blade of grass. It likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to a person who lived near a prominent blade-shaped meadow or field.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being William Blades, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. These were ancient census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
The Blades surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This early reference suggests the name had already been established by the 11th century.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Blade, Blad, and Blades, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions at the time. Several place names, such as Bladefield and Bladesworth, may have contributed to the development of the surname.
One notable bearer of the Blades surname was William Blades, a renowned English printer and bibliographer born in 1824. He made significant contributions to the study of early printing and typography, publishing works such as "The Life and Typography of William Caxton" and "The Enemies of Books."
Another prominent figure was Thomas Blades, an English clergyman and antiquarian born in 1670. He was the author of several works on ecclesiastical history and antiquities, including "A Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of the Dean and Chapter of York."
In the 17th century, John Blades, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, played a role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.
The Blades surname also has connections to the military, with Captain William Blades being a notable officer in the British Army during the late 18th century. He served in the American Revolutionary War and later wrote a memoir detailing his experiences.
Thomas Blades, born in 1808, was a prominent English architect who designed numerous buildings in London, including the iconic Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the Blades surname throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and significance across various fields and eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blades
Among Census respondents with the surname Blades, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blades 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 Blades surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 3,313
- Black or African American13.5% · 586
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 215
- Two or more races4.0% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blades
Blades 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
#7,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,558
+152 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#7,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,330
-228 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,013 | 4,406 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,320 | 4,558 | 1.55 | +152 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #7,422 | 4,330 | 1.45 | -228 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 102 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 Blades 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 | #7,320 | #7,422 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,558 | 4,330 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.45 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blades bearers went from 4,558 to 4,330 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,320 to #7,422.
FAQ
Blades surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blades?
Name Census estimates that about 4,965 living Americans carry the surname Blades. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,034 residents.
How common is Blades?
Blades ranks #7,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,330 people with the surname Blades. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,965), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Blades.
Has Blades become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blades went from 4,558 recorded bearers to 4,330. That is a decrease of 228 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,320 to #7,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Blades?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blades, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blades in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (3,313 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blades appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (13.5%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Blades (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 Blades mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a bladesmith or cutler, one who forges or sells blades. 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 Blades (1.45 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 common is the surname Blades?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Blades at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.