2000
#731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.82
Uncommon Last name
Blankenship
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of blankets or other coarse woolen cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 47,072 Americans carry the last name Blankenship. That puts it at #824 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,281 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blankenship 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
47K
1 in 7,281
Census rank
#824
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 41,049 bearers of the surname Blankenship in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 824th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blankenship, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blankenship
Among Census respondents with the surname Blankenship, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Blankenship 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 Blankenship surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 37,027
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,646
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 1,062
- Black or African American2.0% · 822
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 299
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 193
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blankenship
Blankenship 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
#787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,830
+1,167 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 14.86
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,049
-2,781 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 13.73
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #731 | 42,663 | 15.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #787 | 43,830 | 14.86 | +1,167 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #824 | 41,049 | 13.73 | -2,781 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 37 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 Blankenship 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 | #787 | #824 | -4.7% |
| Count | 43,830 | 41,049 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 14.86 | 13.73 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blankenship bearers went from 43,830 to 41,049 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #787 to #824.
FAQ
Blankenship surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blankenship?
Name Census estimates that about 47,072 living Americans carry the surname Blankenship. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,281 residents.
How common is Blankenship?
Blankenship ranks #824 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 41,049 people with the surname Blankenship. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (47,072), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Blankenship.
Has Blankenship become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blankenship went from 43,830 recorded bearers to 41,049. That is a decrease of 2,781 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #787 to #824.
What does the Census say about the background of Blankenship?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blankenship, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Blankenship in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (37,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blankenship appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Blankenship (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 Blankenship mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of blankets or other coarse woolen cloth. 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 Blankenship (13.73 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 Blankenship?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Blankenship at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.