2000
#10,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,950
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Blanding
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller on the treeless upland" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,056 Americans carry the last name Blanding. That puts it at #11,321 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blanding 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
3.1K
1 in 112,158
Census rank
#11,321
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,665 bearers of the surname Blanding in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11321st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blanding, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blanding
The surname Blanding originates from England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "blanden," which means "a mixture or blend." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who worked with mixing or blending materials, such as a brewer or a dyer.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is recorded as "Blandyng." This medieval document lists individuals who held land or property in the county at the time.
Further evidence of the name's existence can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which mentions a "Johannes Blandyng." These rolls were tax records used to collect subsidies from the populace for military campaigns.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including "Blandyng," "Blandynge," and "Blaundyng." This variation in spelling was common in those times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable individual with the surname Blanding was John Blanding, a prominent merchant who lived in the city of Bristol during the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the wool trade and held influential positions within the city's merchant guild.
In the 16th century, the name can be found in the parish records of several villages in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, suggesting that the Blandings were well-established in these areas. One example is the baptism record of William Blanding in the parish of Cholsey, Berkshire, in 1587.
Another individual of note was Richard Blanding, a Puritan minister who lived in the 17th century. Born in 1602 in Oxfordshire, he emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638 and became a prominent figure in the town of Gloucester.
During the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, a Captain William Blanding is recorded as serving in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He was noted for his bravery in several battles against the Royalists.
In the 18th century, the name Blanding appeared in various parish records across southern England, particularly in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Hampshire. One notable individual from this period was Sarah Blanding, a renowned botanical illustrator born in 1756 in the village of Blewbury, Berkshire.
Throughout the 19th century, the Blanding surname continued to be found in historical records across England, with several families residing in the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Hampshire, as well as in the city of London.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blanding
Among Census respondents with the surname Blanding, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Blanding 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 Blanding surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.5% · 1,905
- White20.0% · 532
- Two or more races4.2% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blanding
Blanding 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
#9,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,237
+287 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 108 places
2020
#11,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,665
-572 bearers (-17.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 1,355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,074 | 2,950 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,966 | 3,237 | 1.10 | +287 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 108 places |
| 2020 | #11,321 | 2,665 | 0.89 | -572 bearers (-17.7%) | Down 1,355 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 Blanding 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 | #9,966 | #11,321 | -13.6% |
| Count | 3,237 | 2,665 | -17.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.89 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blanding bearers went from 3,237 to 2,665 (-17.7% change). The surname moved down 1,355 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,966 to #11,321.
FAQ
Blanding surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blanding?
Name Census estimates that about 3,056 living Americans carry the surname Blanding. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,158 residents.
How common is Blanding?
Blanding ranks #11,321 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,665 people with the surname Blanding. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Blanding.
Has Blanding become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blanding went from 3,237 recorded bearers to 2,665. That is a decrease of 572 (-17.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,966 to #11,321.
What does the Census say about the background of Blanding?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blanding, the largest self-reported group is Black at 71.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Blanding in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (1,905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blanding appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (71.5%), White (20.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Blanding (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 Blanding mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller on the treeless upland" in Old English. 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 Blanding (0.89 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 Blanding?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Blanding, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.