2000
#12,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,250
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Blagg
Derived from a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion, from Middle English "blagg" meaning "black."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,432 Americans carry the last name Blagg. That puts it at #13,676 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,935 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blagg 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 Blagg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,935
Census rank
#13,676
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,121 bearers of the surname Blagg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13676th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blagg
The surname Blagg is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "blæc," meaning "black" or "dark," and was likely initially used as a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blagg can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where it is listed as "Blac." Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Blagg.
In the 14th century, the Blagg surname appeared in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it was spelled "Blagge." This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by this time.
A notable early bearer of the Blagg surname was John Blagg, who lived in the 15th century and was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1459.
The Blagg surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Blagg Mere in Staffordshire and Blagg Lane in Lancashire, further indicating the long-standing presence of the name in various parts of the country.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Blagg have left their mark. One such person was Robert Blagg (1795-1878), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Panopticon of Science and Art.
Another notable figure was Thomas Blagg (1617-1688), an English Roman Catholic priest who served as a chaplain to Queen Catherine of Braganza, the wife of King Charles II.
In the 18th century, John Blagg (1711-1768) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Scriptural Testimonies in Favour of the Divinity of Christ Vindicated."
Mary Blagg (1858-1944) was a British artist known for her paintings of landscapes and portraits, while William Henry Blagg (1856-1925) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blagg
Among Census respondents with the surname Blagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Blagg 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 Blagg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 1,915
- Two or more races4.1% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 35
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blagg
Blagg 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
#13,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,321
+71 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 547 places
2020
#13,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,121
-200 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,624 | 2,250 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,171 | 2,321 | 0.79 | +71 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 547 places |
| 2020 | #13,676 | 2,121 | 0.71 | -200 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 505 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 Blagg 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 | #13,171 | #13,676 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,321 | 2,121 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.71 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blagg bearers went from 2,321 to 2,121 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 505 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,171 to #13,676.
FAQ
Blagg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blagg?
Name Census estimates that about 2,432 living Americans carry the surname Blagg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,935 residents.
How common is Blagg?
Blagg ranks #13,676 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,121 people with the surname Blagg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Blagg.
Has Blagg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blagg went from 2,321 recorded bearers to 2,121. That is a decrease of 200 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,171 to #13,676.
What does the Census say about the background of Blagg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Blagg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (1,915 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blagg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Blagg (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 Blagg mean?
Derived from a nickname for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion, from Middle English "blagg" meaning "black." 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 Blagg (0.71 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 people have the last name Blagg?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Blagg at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.