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

Blakney, 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 Blakney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blakney in America

Blakney is the 15309th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blakney surname appeared 1,917 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Blakney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blakney 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 Blakney

The surname Blakney is believed to have originated in Scotland, dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "blac" and "ey," meaning "black" and "island" respectively. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a person or family living on a dark or bleak island.

One of the earliest known references to the name Blakney can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobility and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Blakenay," indicating its Scottish roots and early spelling variations.

In the 14th century, a John Blakney was recorded as a landowner in the county of Fife, Scotland. This suggests that the Blakney family held some prominence and status during that time period.

The Blakney name has also been linked to the village of Blackney in Perthshire, Scotland. It is possible that the name originated from this location, or that the place was named after an early Blakney family who settled there.

One notable individual with the Blakney surname was Sir William Blakney (1648-1704), a Scottish military commander who served in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession. He was knighted for his bravery and achievements on the battlefield.

Another prominent figure was Robert Blakney (1725-1785), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Glasgow. He endowed several educational institutions and was instrumental in establishing the city's Chamber of Commerce.

In the 19th century, John Blakney (1802-1872) was a respected Scottish architect known for his work on various churches and public buildings in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.

The Blakney surname has also been found in Ireland, where it is believed to have been introduced by Scottish settlers during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century. One notable Irish Blakney was Thomas Blakney (1833-1914), a politician and Member of Parliament for County Monaghan.

Throughout its history, the Blakney name has maintained its Scottish roots and associations, with various spellings and variations appearing over time, such as Blackney, Blakney, and Blakiney.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blakney

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

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 Blakney 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 Blakney 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 Blakney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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