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

Blankenship, 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 Blankenship surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blankenship in America

Blankenship is the 787th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blankenship surname appeared 43,830 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Blankenship.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blankenship 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 Blankenship

The surname Blankenship originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English words "blanc" meaning white, and "hop" meaning a small valley or hollow. It was initially a locational name given to someone residing near a white hollow or small vale.

The earliest known recorded example of the name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273 as John de Blancnape. Similar early spellings include Blanchenhappe and Blankenhop found in tax records and parish registers from the 14th and 15th centuries in various counties across England.

Notable individuals bearing this surname include Sir Thomas Blankenship (1550-1615), an English merchant and member of the Virginia Company who assisted in financing the establishment of the Jamestown colony in 1607. John Blankenship (1693-1765) was a wealthy landowner and planter in Colonial Virginia, owning vast tracts of land along the Rappahannock River.

During the American Revolutionary War, Captain Joseph Blankenship (1742-1810) served in the Virginia militia and fought in several battles against the British forces. His grandson, James Blankenship (1785-1867), was a notable farmer and politician who represented Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1839 to 1843.

In the 19th century, William Blankenship (1810-1892) was a prominent lawyer and judge in Illinois, serving as a circuit court judge for over two decades. He was also involved in the early development of the city of Chicago.

The Blankenship name can be found in various historical records throughout England and later in the American colonies, reflecting its longstanding presence and significance in both countries over several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blankenship

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

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

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

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