Blaine last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Blaine

A Scottish and Irish topographic surname referring to someone who lived on a moor or open plain.

Blaine, 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 Blaine surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blaine in America

Blaine is the 5397th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blaine surname appeared 6,451 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Blaine.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blaine 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 5397 5231 3.12%
Count 6,451 6,131 5.09%
Proportion per 100k 2.19 2.27 -3.59%

The history of the last name Blaine

The surname Blaine has its origins in France and is derived from the Old French word "blain" or "blein," which means "discolored" or "pale." This name likely originated as a nickname for someone with a light complexion or pale appearance.

The name can be traced back to the 11th century in Normandy, France, where it was first recorded as "de Blain" or "de Blein." These early forms suggest that the name may have been associated with a specific place or region within Normandy.

One of the earliest known records of the name Blaine is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record land ownership and taxation in England. The name appears as "Blainus" and "Blein" in this historic document.

In the 12th century, the name Blaine began to spread across England and other parts of Europe, often taking on different spellings such as "Blayne," "Blane," and "Blain." This variation in spelling was common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

Notable individuals with the surname Blaine throughout history include:

  1. James G. Blaine (1830-1893), an American statesman who served as a U.S. Senator from Maine and was the Republican nominee for President in 1884.

  2. Mahlon Dickerson Blaine (1819-1889), an American jurist and politician who served as a judge and as the United States Secretary of the Interior under President Zachary Taylor.

  3. Robert Blaine (c. 1459-1536), a Scottish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Aberdeen and was a prominent figure during the Scottish Reformation.

  4. Vivien Blaine (1921-1995), an American actress and singer best known for her role as Miss Adelaide in the original Broadway production of "Guys and Dolls."

  5. Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr. (1904-1985), an American man who held the record for the longest personal name in the Guinness Book of World Records until 2012.

Throughout its history, the surname Blaine has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Blain in Brittany, France, and Blaine in Washington, United States, which was named after James G. Blaine. The name continues to be found in many countries around the world, reflecting its enduring presence throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blaine

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

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 Blaine was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 78.31% 5,052
Non-Hispanic Black Only 12.90% 832
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.88% 57
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 3.27% 211
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.94% 125
Hispanic Origin 2.70% 174

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 Blaine has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 78.31% 80.77% -3.09%
Black 12.90% 12.04% 6.90%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.88% 0.72% 20.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 3.27% 2.77% 16.56%
Two or More Races 1.94% 2.06% -6.00%
Hispanic 2.70% 1.65% 48.28%

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

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

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"Blaine last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/blaine-surname-popularity/.

"Blaine last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/blaine-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Blaine last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/blaine-surname-popularity/.

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