2000
#1,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,219
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.35
Uncommon Last name
Bland
An English surname derived from a nickname meaning mild-mannered, gentle, or meek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,129 Americans carry the last name Bland. That puts it at #1,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,767 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bland 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 Bland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,767
Census rank
#1,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,402 bearers of the surname Bland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bland, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bland
The surname Bland has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is thought to derive from the Old French word "blund", meaning pale or fair-haired. The name likely referred to someone with a light complexion or blonde hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1194, where a Richard le Blund is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list several individuals with the surname Blund or Blunt in various counties across England.
The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Bland, as it predates the widespread use of hereditary surnames in England. However, it does include place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Blandford in Dorset.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Blund, Blunt, and Blond, reflecting the evolution of the English language. The modern spelling of Bland emerged in the 15th century.
Notable individuals with the surname Bland include:
1. John Bland (c. 1515-1588), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1575.
2. Theodric Bland (1629-1670), an English colonial leader and landowner in Virginia.
3. Richard Bland (1710-1776), an American planter, politician, and scholar, known as one of the most learned men in colonial Virginia.
4. Humphrey Bland (1686-1763), an English mathematician and philosopher, best known for his work on quadratic equations.
5. Robert Bland (1779-1838), an English writer and philosopher, author of the influential work "Collections from the Greek Anthology".
These individuals, spanning several centuries, demonstrate the enduring presence of the Bland surname across various fields, from politics and commerce to academia and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bland
Among Census respondents with the surname Bland, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bland 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 Bland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.0% · 14,724
- Black or African American33.3% · 8,454
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,149
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 788
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 150
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 137
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bland
Bland 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
#1,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,722
+1,503 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 9.06
Rank movement Down 29 places
2020
#1,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,402
-1,320 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 8.50
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,286 | 25,219 | 9.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,315 | 26,722 | 9.06 | +1,503 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 29 places |
| 2020 | #1,357 | 25,402 | 8.50 | -1,320 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 42 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 Bland 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 | #1,315 | #1,357 | -3.2% |
| Count | 26,722 | 25,402 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 9.06 | 8.50 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bland bearers went from 26,722 to 25,402 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,315 to #1,357.
FAQ
Bland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bland?
Name Census estimates that about 29,129 living Americans carry the surname Bland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,767 residents.
How common is Bland?
Bland ranks #1,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,402 people with the surname Bland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Bland.
Has Bland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bland went from 26,722 recorded bearers to 25,402. That is a decrease of 1,320 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,315 to #1,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Bland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bland, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.0% (14,724 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.0%), Black (33.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bland (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 Bland mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname meaning mild-mannered, gentle, or meek. 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 Bland (8.50 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 last name Bland?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Bland, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.