2000
#9,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,206
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Blakeman
An English occupational surname referring to a person with dark hair, complexion, or clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,786 Americans carry the last name Blakeman. That puts it at #9,430 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,532 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blakeman 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 Blakeman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,532
Census rank
#9,430
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,302 bearers of the surname Blakeman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9430th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blakeman
The surname Blakeman is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning black and "mann" meaning man, suggesting it was initially a descriptive name applied to someone with dark features or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it is listed as Blakeman. This indicates the surname was already well-established in parts of England by the 13th century.
The Blakeman surname is also found in various medieval records and manuscripts, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as Blakeman. This suggests the name was widespread across different regions of England during this period.
In the 14th century, the Blakeman surname is recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it is spelled as Blakeman. This provides evidence of the name's presence in the northern parts of England.
One notable individual bearing the Blakeman surname was John Blakeman, a 15th-century English cleric and scholar who served as the Bishop of Norfolk from 1433 to 1454.
Another historical figure with this surname was Adam Blakeman, a 16th-century English merchant and explorer who embarked on voyages to the Americas and was among the first Englishmen to establish trade relations with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.
In the 17th century, the Blakeman surname is found in various parish records and tax rolls across England, indicating its continued presence and spread throughout the country.
One notable bearer of the name during this period was Robert Blakeman, a 17th-century English soldier and military officer who fought in the English Civil War and served under Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, the Blakeman surname appears in various historical records and documents, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of Shropshire from 1672, where it is listed as Blakeman.
William Blakeman, born in 1720, was a prominent English architect and builder who designed and constructed several notable buildings in London, including St. George's Church in Bloomsbury.
As the surname spread and evolved, various spellings emerged, such as Blackman, Blackeman, and Blakman, reflecting regional variations and dialectal influences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained consistent, tracing back to its Old English roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blakeman
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Blakeman 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 Blakeman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 2,947
- Two or more races4.3% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 122
- Black or African American1.5% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blakeman
Blakeman 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
#9,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,380
+174 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 284 places
2020
#9,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,302
-78 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,331 | 3,206 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,615 | 3,380 | 1.15 | +174 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 284 places |
| 2020 | #9,430 | 3,302 | 1.10 | -78 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 185 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 Blakeman 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 | #9,615 | #9,430 | 1.9% |
| Count | 3,380 | 3,302 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.10 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blakeman bearers went from 3,380 to 3,302 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,615 to #9,430.
FAQ
Blakeman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blakeman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,786 living Americans carry the surname Blakeman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,532 residents.
How common is Blakeman?
Blakeman ranks #9,430 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,302 people with the surname Blakeman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Blakeman.
Has Blakeman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blakeman went from 3,380 recorded bearers to 3,302. That is a decrease of 78 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,615 to #9,430.
What does the Census say about the background of Blakeman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Blakeman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (2,947 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blakeman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Blakeman (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 Blakeman mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person with dark hair, complexion, or clothing. 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 Blakeman (1.10 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 common is the surname Blakeman?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Blakeman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.