Blank last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Blank

A descriptive surname referring to a person without a family name or who left their name blank.

Blank, 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 Blank surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blank in America

Blank is the 2765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blank surname appeared 13,050 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 Blank.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blank 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2765 2613 5.65%
Count 13,050 12,706 2.67%
Proportion per 100k 4.42 4.71 -6.35%

The history of the last name Blank

The surname BLANK is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "blanc," meaning "white" or "pale." It is believed to have first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive nickname for someone with a pale complexion or fair hair.

The earliest recorded instances of the BLANK surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a Robert le Blank and a William le Blank are mentioned. In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire as Blaunke.

One of the earliest known bearers of the BLANK surname was Richard le Blank, a landowner in Oxfordshire who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for the county in 1268. Another early record is that of John le Blank, a merchant from Bristol, whose name appears in the city's Guild Rolls in 1312.

The BLANK surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. Sir Thomas Blank (c. 1450-1518) was a prominent English soldier and courtier who served under King Henry VII and Henry VIII. He fought in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and was later appointed as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard.

In the literary world, the English poet and playwright Matthias Blank (1605-1681) was a renowned figure of the 17th century. He is best known for his satirical works, including the famous poem "The Sourdoughs of London."

During the American Revolutionary War, Colonel James Blank (1738-1816) was a distinguished officer in the Continental Army. He fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton, and was later awarded land grants for his service.

In the field of science, the British botanist and explorer Robert Blank (1773-1858) made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in Australia and New Zealand. He was one of the first European naturalists to document the unique plant life of these regions.

The BLANK surname has also been associated with places such as Blankville, a small village in Gloucestershire, which may have derived its name from an early settler with the surname.

Overall, the BLANK surname has a rich history dating back to medieval England and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, writers, scientists, and explorers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blank

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

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 Blank was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.72% 12,361
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.24% 162
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.60% 78
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.34% 44
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.98% 128
Hispanic Origin 2.12% 277

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 Blank has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.72% 95.82% -1.15%
Black 1.24% 1.40% -12.12%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.60% 0.35% 52.63%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.34% 0.12% 95.65%
Two or More Races 0.98% 0.98% 0.00%
Hispanic 2.12% 1.32% 46.51%

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

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

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"Blank last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/blank-surname-popularity/.

"Blank last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/blank-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 December, 2024

Blank last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/blank-surname-popularity/.

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