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

Blaire, 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 Blaire surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blaire in America

Blaire is the 77264th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blaire surname appeared 248 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 Blaire.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blaire 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 Blaire

The surname Blaire has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "blier," meaning "to turn pale" or "to blanch," which in turn comes from the Old German word "blih," meaning "pale" or "white."

The name was likely given to someone with a particularly pale complexion or to someone who worked in a profession that required them to handle bleached materials, such as a bleacher or a whitener of cloth. It may also have been a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a pale or whitish area of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a list of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore fealty to Edward I of England. The name is listed as "Blare" in this document.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records as "Blar" and "Blare," suggesting that the modern spelling with an "i" developed later. The town of Blair Atholl in Perthshire, Scotland, is said to have been named after an early bearer of the name, though the exact origin of the place name is uncertain.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was John Blaire, a Scottish clergyman and translator who lived in the 16th century. He is best known for his translation of the Bible into Scottish Gaelic, published in 1767.

Another notable bearer of the name was Robert Blaire, a Scottish merchant and colonial administrator who lived in the 17th century. He served as the Governor of Virginia Colony from 1692 to 1699.

In the 18th century, Hugh Blaire was a Scottish minister and philosopher who wrote extensively on rhetoric and belles-lettres. He was also a professor of rhetoric and belles-lettres at the University of Edinburgh.

James Blaire was a Scottish botanist and explorer who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for his expeditions to South America, where he collected and documented numerous plant species.

Finally, Emma Blaire was a Scottish novelist and poet who lived in the late 19th century. Her works, which often explored themes of love and loss, were popular during the Victorian era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blaire

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

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

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

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