Find out how popular the last name Blakley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Blakley.

Blakley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Blakley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blakley in America

Blakley is the 5855th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blakley surname appeared 5,898 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Blakley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blakley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Blakley

The surname Blakley originates from England, with its earliest known bearers residing in the northern counties. It is derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning black and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing in a woodland. The name likely refers to a person who lived near a dark or shaded meadow.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England after the Norman Conquest, the name appears as "Blachelie" and "Blakeleye." These early spelling variations highlight the name's development from its Old English roots.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Blakeley, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire in 1199. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer.

During the 13th century, the name was associated with several landholdings and manors in Lancashire and Yorkshire. For instance, the Blakeley family held lands in Blackley, a township in the parish of Manchester, which likely influenced the spelling of their surname.

In the 14th century, John Blakley was listed as a landowner in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Westmorland in 1332. These rolls were tax records maintained by the English government.

Notable individuals with the surname Blakley include:

1. William Blakley (c. 1620 - 1692), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to New England and served as the second president of Harvard College from 1672 to 1675.

2. Samuel Blakley (1783 - 1860), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1833 to 1837.

3. Charles Blakley (1856 - 1925), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

4. Mary Blakley (1879 - 1957), an American poet and author, known for her works exploring the experiences of women in the early 20th century.

5. Thomas Blakley (1915 - 1976), an American mathematician and cryptographer who co-invented the concept of secret sharing, a fundamental principle in modern cryptography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blakley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Blakley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Blakley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Blakley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Blakley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Blakley, please contact us.

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