2000
#380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.85
Uncommon Last name
Blair
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from Gaelic blár, meaning "field, plain, or battlefield."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,445 Americans carry the last name Blair. That puts it at #428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blair 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 Blair with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
86K
1 in 3,965
Census rank
#428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
75K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,384 bearers of the surname Blair in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blair, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blair
The surname Blair is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "blar" meaning "field" or "plain." It is thought to have originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a field or plain.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century, with mentions in various Scottish charters and records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Blair, who was granted lands in Ayrshire, Scotland, in the late 12th century.
The Blair family played a significant role in Scottish history, with several members holding prominent positions. One of the most notable figures was Sir James Blair, who served as a Scottish knight and fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
Another notable bearer of the name was Reverend James Blair, who was born in Scotland in 1655 and later became the founder and first president of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, USA. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the college, which is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in America.
The name Blair has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Blair Atholl, Blair Drummond, and Blair Gowrie. These place names are derived from the Gaelic word "blar" and reflect the connection between the surname and the geographical features of the areas where the name originated.
Other notable individuals with the surname Blair include:
1. Eric Blair (1903-1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, the renowned English novelist and essayist who wrote classics such as "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four."
2. Tony Blair (born 1953), a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007.
3. Cherie Blair (born 1954), a British barrister and wife of Tony Blair.
4. Dennis Rodman Blair (born 1947), an American former Navy admiral and former Director of National Intelligence.
5. Mary Gilmore Rendlesham Blair (1911-1978), an American artist and illustrator best known for her children's book illustrations, including for the "Lionni" series.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blair
Among Census respondents with the surname Blair, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Blair 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 Blair surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 57,512
- Black or African American14.6% · 10,985
- Two or more races4.4% · 3,319
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,571
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 545
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 452
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blair
Blair 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
#416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,026
+2,891 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 26.45
Rank movement Down 36 places
2020
#428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,384
-2,642 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 25.22
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #380 | 75,135 | 27.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #416 | 78,026 | 26.45 | +2,891 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 36 places |
| 2020 | #428 | 75,384 | 25.22 | -2,642 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 12 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 Blair 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 | #416 | #428 | -2.9% |
| Count | 78,026 | 75,384 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 26.45 | 25.22 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blair bearers went from 78,026 to 75,384 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #416 to #428.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blair
FAQ
Blair surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blair?
Name Census estimates that about 86,445 living Americans carry the surname Blair. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,965 residents.
How common is Blair?
Blair ranks #428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,384 people with the surname Blair. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,445), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Blair.
Has Blair become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blair went from 78,026 recorded bearers to 75,384. That is a decrease of 2,642 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #416 to #428.
What does the Census say about the background of Blair?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blair, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Blair in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (57,512 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blair appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Blair (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 Blair mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from Gaelic blár, meaning "field, plain, or battlefield." 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 Blair (25.22 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 share the surname Blair?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.