2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Blakewood
A surname derived from a dark, wooded area or forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Blakewood. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blakewood 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.
Bearers in the US
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Blakewood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakewood, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blakewood
The surname BLAKEWOOD is of English origin, originating in the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from a place name that referred to a dark or dense wooded area. The old English word "blæc" meant black or dark, while "wudu" meant a wood or forest.
The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various tax rolls and legal documents of the time. One notable early bearer was John de Blakewode, who was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1272. Another example is William Blakewode, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.
During the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to other regions of England, with records showing variations such as Blakwode and Blakewood. In the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, a Thomas Blakewode is listed as a taxpayer. Additionally, the Inquisitiones Post Mortem for Yorkshire mentions a Robert de Blakwode in 1370.
Notable individuals bearing this surname include Sir John Blakewood, a 15th-century Member of Parliament for the county of Kent, who lived from around 1420 to 1492. In the 16th century, there was Richard Blakewood, a prominent merchant and alderman of the City of London, who was born in 1525 and died in 1602.
The 17th century saw the rise of James Blakewood, an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds. He was born in 1623 and passed away in 1689. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Blakewood, a military officer who fought in the English Civil War and was knighted for his service in 1645. He lived from 1610 to 1671.
In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the name was William Blakewood, a wealthy landowner and industrialist from Yorkshire, who was born in 1725 and died in 1802. He played a significant role in the development of the wool and textile industries in the region.
Throughout its history, the surname BLAKEWOOD has also been associated with various place names, such as Blackwood in Gloucestershire, Blackwood in Worcestershire, and Blackwood in Somerset, all of which likely contributed to the formation of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blakewood
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakewood, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blakewood 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 Blakewood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.2% · 70
- Black or African American25.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blakewood
Blakewood 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,804 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-4 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 14,804 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 3,263 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 Blakewood 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 | #159,712 | #156,449 | 2.0% |
| Count | 101 | 97 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blakewood bearers went from 101 to 97 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 3,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #156,449.
FAQ
Blakewood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blakewood?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Blakewood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Blakewood?
Blakewood ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Blakewood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Blakewood.
Has Blakewood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blakewood went from 101 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 4 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Blakewood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakewood, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Blakewood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blakewood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.2%), Black (25.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Blakewood (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 Blakewood mean?
A surname derived from a dark, wooded area or forest. 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 Blakewood (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Blakewood?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.