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

Blais, 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 Blais surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blais in America

Blais is the 6017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blais surname appeared 5,718 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 Blais.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blais 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 Blais

The surname Blais originated in France and is derived from the Old French word "blays" or "blesie," which means "light-colored" or "pale." It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive nickname for someone with pale or fair complexion.

The name Blais can be traced back to the 12th century in regions like Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. It is closely related to other French surnames such as Blaise, Blaize, and Bleys, which share a similar root and meaning.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Blais can be found in the Domesday Book, a famous manuscript commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry refers to a landowner named Blays in the county of Gloucestershire, England.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Jean Blais was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Paris. He is mentioned in several historical records from that period, including property deeds and trade documents.

During the 16th century, a French explorer named Jacques Blais played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the Canadian province of Québec. He is recognized as one of the early pioneers who helped establish French colonies in North America.

In the late 17th century, a French soldier and nobleman named Louis-Henri de Blais served in the armies of King Louis XIV. He fought in several major battles during the Nine Years' War and later became a celebrated military commander.

Another prominent individual with the surname Blais was Jean-Baptiste Blais, a renowned 18th-century French architect and urban planner. He designed several notable buildings and public spaces in Paris, including the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) and the Place de la Concorde.

Throughout history, the surname Blais has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Blaise-Haute and Blaise-Basse in the Haute-Saône region, as well as the village of Blais in the department of Calvados.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blais

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!