2000
#8,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,587
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Blakey
An English occupational surname referring to a pale-skinned or fair-haired person, or someone who bleaches yarn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,288 Americans carry the last name Blakey. That puts it at #8,471 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blakey 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 Blakey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,933
Census rank
#8,471
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,739 bearers of the surname Blakey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8471st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakey, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blakey
The surname Blakey originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning "black" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests that the name likely referred to a person who lived near or worked on a dark or blackened meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Blachelie." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England at the time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Blakeley," "Blakely," and "Blakelay," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. During this period, the name was also associated with several place names, including Blackley in Manchester and Blackley in Worcestershire.
Among the notable individuals bearing the surname Blakey throughout history are:
1. William Blakey (1619-1675), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Little Woodbury, Wiltshire.
2. Robert Blakey (1795-1878), a British landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes in Yorkshire.
3. Anne Blakey (1810-1890), an English philanthropist and social reformer who worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of the poor in Manchester.
4. John Blakey (1854-1932), an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and represented England in two Test matches.
5. Thomas Blakey (1882-1961), a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1935 to 1945.
The surname Blakey has a rich history rooted in the northern regions of England, with its origins dating back to the medieval period and evolving over time through various spellings and associations with specific locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blakey
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakey, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Blakey 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 Blakey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.6% · 2,116
- Black or African American32.3% · 1,207
- Two or more races5.9% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 150
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blakey
Blakey 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
#8,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,796
+209 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 196 places
2020
#8,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,739
-57 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,459 | 3,587 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,655 | 3,796 | 1.29 | +209 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 196 places |
| 2020 | #8,471 | 3,739 | 1.25 | -57 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 184 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 Blakey 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 | #8,655 | #8,471 | 2.1% |
| Count | 3,796 | 3,739 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.25 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blakey bearers went from 3,796 to 3,739 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 184 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,655 to #8,471.
FAQ
Blakey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blakey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,288 living Americans carry the surname Blakey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,933 residents.
How common is Blakey?
Blakey ranks #8,471 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,739 people with the surname Blakey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Blakey.
Has Blakey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blakey went from 3,796 recorded bearers to 3,739. That is a decrease of 57 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,655 to #8,471.
What does the Census say about the background of Blakey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakey, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Blakey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.6% (2,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blakey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.6%), Black (32.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Blakey (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 Blakey mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a pale-skinned or fair-haired person, or someone who bleaches yarn. 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 Blakey (1.25 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 Blakey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.