2000
#9,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Blakemore
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "dark pond" or "black pool."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,596 Americans carry the last name Blakemore. That puts it at #9,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,315 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blakemore 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 Blakemore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,315
Census rank
#9,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,136 bearers of the surname Blakemore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakemore, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blakemore
The surname Blakemore has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name "Blackmore" found in various parts of the country, particularly in Essex, Worcestershire, and Somerset.
The name itself is a combination of the Old English words "blæc," meaning black or dark, and "mor," referring to a moor or heath. This suggests that the name originated from people who lived near or came from a settlement situated on or near a dark, heathery moor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Blachemare" and "Blakemere," referencing individuals from the villages of Blackmore in Essex and Worcestershire, respectively.
In the 13th century, a document from Essex mentions a John de Blakemore, indicating the use of the locational prefix "de" to denote someone from a particular place. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, Blakemore.
Notable historical figures with the surname Blakemore include:
1. Sir Richard Blakemore (c. 1500-1570), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the mid-16th century.
2. Thomas Blakemore (1572-1638), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Dean of Winchester Cathedral from 1624 until his death.
3. William Blakemore (1605-1685), an English politician and MP for Wootton Bassett in the 17th century.
4. John Blakemore (1786-1857), a British surveyor and geographer who contributed to the mapping of Australia and New Zealand in the early 19th century.
5. Sir Ralph Blakemore (1865-1949), a British industrialist and co-founder of the Blakemore's Food Service company, which still operates today.
The name Blakemore has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Blackmore in Essex, Blakemore in Gloucestershire, and Blakemore Wood in Worcestershire, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blakemore
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakemore, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Blakemore 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 Blakemore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 1,989
- Black or African American25.0% · 785
- Two or more races6.3% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blakemore
Blakemore 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
#9,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,271
+206 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 151 places
2020
#9,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,136
-135 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,733 | 3,065 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,884 | 3,271 | 1.11 | +206 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 151 places |
| 2020 | #9,837 | 3,136 | 1.05 | -135 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 47 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 Blakemore 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 | #9,884 | #9,837 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,271 | 3,136 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.05 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blakemore bearers went from 3,271 to 3,136 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,884 to #9,837.
FAQ
Blakemore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blakemore?
Name Census estimates that about 3,596 living Americans carry the surname Blakemore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,315 residents.
How common is Blakemore?
Blakemore ranks #9,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,136 people with the surname Blakemore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,596), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Blakemore.
Has Blakemore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blakemore went from 3,271 recorded bearers to 3,136. That is a decrease of 135 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,884 to #9,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Blakemore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakemore, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.0%) and Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Blakemore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (1,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blakemore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.4%), Black (25.0%), Two or More Races (6.3%). 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 Blakemore (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 Blakemore mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "dark pond" or "black pool." 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 Blakemore (1.05 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 surname Blakemore?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.