2000
#10,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,774
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Blakeley
From the Old English words "blæc" and "lēah," referring to a person who lived by a dark wood or clearing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,156 Americans carry the last name Blakeley. That puts it at #11,039 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,604 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blakeley 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 Blakeley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,604
Census rank
#11,039
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,752 bearers of the surname Blakeley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11039th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blakeley
The surname Blakeley originated in England, deriving from the Old English words 'blæc' meaning 'black' and 'leah' meaning 'woodland' or 'clearing'. It is believed to have first appeared in the 11th century as a locational name for someone residing near a dark forest or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Blakeley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name is spelled as 'Blachelie'.
During the Middle Ages, the name Blakeley was relatively common in various parts of England, particularly in the northern counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Different spellings such as 'Blackley', 'Blakeley', and 'Blakely' were used interchangeably.
A notable bearer of the name Blakeley was John Blakeley (c. 1600-1662), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan during the English Civil War. Another prominent figure was Sir Edward Blakeley (1723-1781), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the name Blakeley gained further recognition with the accomplishments of Johnston Blakeley (1781-1814), an American naval officer and captain of the USS Wasp during the War of 1812. His victories over British ships earned him fame and the nickname "The Hero of the Wasp".
Another individual of note was William Blakeley (1830-1898), an Australian politician and businessman who served as the Premier of South Australia from 1892 to 1898. He was instrumental in promoting economic development and infrastructure projects in the state.
The surname Blakeley has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Blakeley Mere in Staffordshire and Blakeley Nook in Lancashire. These locations likely took their names from early settlers with the Blakeley surname.
While the name Blakeley has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, it remains a notable surname with a rich history rooted in the English countryside and the individuals who bore it throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blakeley
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Blakeley 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 Blakeley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 2,307
- Black or African American8.0% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 116
- Two or more races3.2% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blakeley
Blakeley 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
#10,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,907
+133 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 348 places
2020
#11,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,752
-155 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,603 | 2,774 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,951 | 2,907 | 0.99 | +133 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 348 places |
| 2020 | #11,039 | 2,752 | 0.92 | -155 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 88 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 Blakeley 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 | #10,951 | #11,039 | -0.8% |
| Count | 2,907 | 2,752 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.92 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blakeley bearers went from 2,907 to 2,752 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,951 to #11,039.
FAQ
Blakeley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blakeley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,156 living Americans carry the surname Blakeley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,604 residents.
How common is Blakeley?
Blakeley ranks #11,039 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,752 people with the surname Blakeley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Blakeley.
Has Blakeley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blakeley went from 2,907 recorded bearers to 2,752. That is a decrease of 155 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,951 to #11,039.
What does the Census say about the background of Blakeley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeley, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Blakeley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (2,307 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blakeley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (8.0%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Blakeley (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 Blakeley mean?
From the Old English words "blæc" and "lēah," referring to a person who lived by a dark wood or clearing. 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 Blakeley (0.92 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 Blakeley?
You can see how many people have the last name Blakeley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.