2000
#15,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,757
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Blakney
A locational surname derived from a place name in England, possibly meaning "black meadow" or "dark valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,110 Americans carry the last name Blakney. That puts it at #15,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,443 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blakney 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
2.1K
1 in 162,443
Census rank
#15,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,840 bearers of the surname Blakney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blakney
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blakney 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 Blakney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.0% · 920
- White42.3% · 778
- Two or more races4.0% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blakney
Blakney 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
#15,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,917
+160 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 41 places
2020
#15,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,840
-77 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,350 | 1,757 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,309 | 1,917 | 0.65 | +160 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 41 places |
| 2020 | #15,355 | 1,840 | 0.62 | -77 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 46 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 Blakney 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 | #15,309 | #15,355 | -0.3% |
| Count | 1,917 | 1,840 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.62 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blakney bearers went from 1,917 to 1,840 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,309 to #15,355.
FAQ
Blakney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blakney?
Name Census estimates that about 2,110 living Americans carry the surname Blakney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,443 residents.
How common is Blakney?
Blakney ranks #15,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,840 people with the surname Blakney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Blakney.
Has Blakney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blakney went from 1,917 recorded bearers to 1,840. That is a decrease of 77 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,309 to #15,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Blakney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakney, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.0%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blakney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blakney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.0%), White (42.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Blakney (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 Blakney mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in England, possibly meaning "black meadow" or "dark valley". 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 Blakney (0.62 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 Blakney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.