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

Blalock, 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 Blalock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blalock in America

Blalock is the 3145th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blalock surname appeared 11,493 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Blalock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blalock 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 Blalock

The surname Blalock is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning "black" and "loca" meaning "lock" or "enclosure," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person living near a dark-colored stream or enclosure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blalock can be found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1673, which lists a John Blalock residing in Worcestershire, England. The name also appears in various parish records and legal documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Blaloke, Blayloke, and Blayloch.

In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Blalock surname was John Blalock (1754-1824), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he became a prominent landowner and community leader.

Another historical figure associated with the Blalock name was William Blalock (1819-1898), an American politician and soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War and later served as a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War. He was born in Tennessee and later became a successful businessman and farmer.

In the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the Blalock surname was Alfred Blalock (1899-1964), an American surgeon renowned for his groundbreaking work in cardiac surgery. He is credited with developing the Blalock-Taussig shunt, a pioneering surgical procedure that greatly improved the treatment of "blue baby syndrome," a congenital heart defect.

Another notable Blalock was Doris Blalock (1912-1993), an American educator and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the desegregation of schools in Arkansas during the 1950s. She worked tirelessly to promote equality and educational opportunities for all students, regardless of race.

While the Blalock surname is predominantly found in the United States and Canada, it also has a presence in other parts of the world, including Australia and New Zealand, where some individuals of English descent have carried on the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blalock

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

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

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

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