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

Blandford, 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 Blandford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blandford in America

Blandford is the 12531st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blandford surname appeared 2,473 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 Blandford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blandford 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 Blandford

The surname Blandford is of English origin, deriving from the place name Blandford in Dorset, England, which dates back to the 11th century. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "blan" meaning "blank or white" and "ford" meaning a shallow place where a river can be crossed.

One of the earliest records of the name Blandford can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. The entry mentions a manor called "Bleneford" in Dorset.

In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname Blandford was Walter de Blandford, who served as the Bishop of Oxford from 1268 to 1292. He is known for his involvement in ecclesiastical affairs during the reign of King Henry III.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1301, which mention a John de Blandford. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 list a Richard de Blandford.

In the 16th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the Blandford surname was John Blandford (c. 1520 - 1576), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another notable figure was Walter Blandford (1619 - 1675), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Bishop of Oxford from 1665 until his death. He was known for his scholarly works and his efforts in rebuilding churches damaged during the English Civil War.

During the 18th century, the Blandford name gained further recognition with the birth of George Blandford (1722 - 1808), an English architect and surveyor. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford.

Throughout history, the Blandford surname has been associated with various locations in England, particularly in the counties of Dorset, Lincolnshire, and Worcestershire, where the name has its roots and earliest recorded instances.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blandford

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

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

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

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