2000
#81,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Blankship
A surname potentially derived from a location or occupation involving ships or sailing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Blankship. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blankship 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Blankship in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blankship, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blankship
The surname Blankship is an English name with origins dating back to the late 13th century. It is believed to have emerged from the region of Yorkshire, England, where the name was likely derived from a combination of the old English words "blank" meaning "white" and "ship" referring to a type of vessel or boat.
The earliest recorded instance of the Blankship name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1275, where a Thomas de Blankschip is mentioned. These rolls were administrative records kept by manorial lords detailing matters relating to their estates and tenants. The spelling "Blankschip" was a common variation during this era.
In the 14th century, the Blankship name can be found in various tax records and land charters across the Yorkshire region. A notable example is the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, which lists several Blankship families residing in villages such as Barnsley and Rotherham.
The Blankship name may have originally referred to someone who worked on or owned a particular type of white-sailed ship or vessel, though the exact origin is unclear. It is also possible that the name was a descriptive nickname given to someone with a pale complexion or a connection to a place with the word "blank" in its name.
One of the earliest documented Blankships was John Blankship, born around 1410 in Doncaster, Yorkshire. He was a prominent merchant and landowner whose descendants continued to live in the area for generations.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Blankship name began to spread beyond Yorkshire as families migrated to other parts of England. Some notable Blankships from this period include:
1. William Blankship (1532-1612) - A prosperous farmer and landowner in Lincolnshire.
2. Elizabeth Blankship (1568-1643) - Wife of a wealthy merchant in London, known for her charitable works.
3. Thomas Blankship (1620-1687) - A Puritan minister and author who served parishes in Essex and Suffolk.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Blankship name could be found across England, with some families also establishing roots in other parts of the British Isles and North America. A few notable Blankships from this time include:
1. John Blankship (1734-1806) - A British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
2. Mary Blankship (1782-1864) - An English poet and author who published several volumes of poetry and prose.
3. James Blankship (1810-1891) - A successful industrialist and entrepreneur in the textile industry in Manchester.
4. Robert Blankship (1849-1923) - A Canadian politician and businessman who served as Mayor of Winnipeg from 1892 to 1893.
5. Emily Blankship (1876-1948) - An American artist and painter known for her landscapes and portraits of Native American subjects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blankship
Among Census respondents with the surname Blankship, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Blankship 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 Blankship surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 96
- Black or African American6.5% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blankship
Blankship 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
#97,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 186
-30 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 16,257 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-78 bearers (-41.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 53,264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,414 | 216 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #97,671 | 186 | 0.06 | -30 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 16,257 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -78 bearers (-41.9%) | Down 53,264 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 Blankship 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 | #97,671 | #150,935 | -54.5% |
| Count | 186 | 108 | -41.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.04 | -39.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blankship bearers went from 186 to 108 (-41.9% change). The surname moved down 53,264 positions in the national ranking, going from #97,671 to #150,935.
FAQ
Blankship surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blankship?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Blankship. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Blankship?
Blankship ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Blankship. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Blankship.
Has Blankship become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blankship went from 186 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 78 (-41.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #97,671 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Blankship?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blankship, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Blankship in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blankship appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Blankship (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 Blankship mean?
A surname potentially derived from a location or occupation involving ships or sailing. 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 Blankship (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Blankship?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.