2000
#9,973
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,985
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Blas
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin name Blasius, which means "lisping" or "stammering."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,866 Americans carry the last name Blas. That puts it at #7,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,439 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blas 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
4.9K
1 in 70,439
Census rank
#7,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,243 bearers of the surname Blas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%) and White (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blas
The surname BLAS has its origins in Spain, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the ancient Spanish word "blas," which meant "blasphemer" or "one who blasphemes." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who had a penchant for using profane or blasphemous language.
In the 13th century, the BLAS surname appeared in various medieval records and documents from the regions of Aragon and Catalonia in northeastern Spain. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the 1286 census rolls of the city of Barcelona, where a certain Pedro BLAS was listed as a resident.
The name BLAS can also be traced back to the Catalan variant "Blas," which was a common spelling in the 15th and 16th centuries. This version is thought to have originated from the Latin name "Blasius," which was derived from the Greek word "blastos," meaning "sprout" or "offspring."
One of the most notable historical figures with the BLAS surname was Juan BLAS, a Spanish explorer and navigator who lived from 1520 to 1590. He accompanied several expeditions to the Americas and is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the Pacific Northwest region of present-day Canada and the United States.
Another notable BLAS was Pedro BLAS de Quesada, a Spanish conquistador born in 1505, who played a significant role in the conquest of present-day Colombia and the establishment of the city of Bogotá in the 1530s.
In the realm of literature, the Spanish novelist and playwright Ramón del Valle-Inclán (1866-1936) included a character named Blas Sangredo in his renowned work "Luces de Bohemia" (Bohemian Lights), published in 1920.
The surname BLAS has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as the town of Blas in the province of Teruel, and the municipality of Blasconuño de Matacabras in the province of Ávila.
Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the BLAS surname, including the Mexican painter and muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974), whose full name was José David Alfaro BLAS, and the Spanish painter José BLAS Molina (1810-1891).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blas
Among Census respondents with the surname Blas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%) and White (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Blas 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 Blas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino63.0% · 2,671
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.9% · 885
- White10.4% · 441
- Two or more races4.7% · 198
- Black or African American0.9% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blas
Blas 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
#9,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,612
+627 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 928 places
2020
#7,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,243
+631 bearers (+17.5%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 1,496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,973 | 2,985 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,045 | 3,612 | 1.22 | +627 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 928 places |
| 2020 | #7,549 | 4,243 | 1.42 | +631 bearers (+17.5%) | Up 1,496 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 Blas 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 | #9,045 | #7,549 | 16.5% |
| Count | 3,612 | 4,243 | 17.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.42 | 16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blas bearers went from 3,612 to 4,243 (+17.5% change). The surname moved up 1,496 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,045 to #7,549.
FAQ
Blas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blas?
Name Census estimates that about 4,866 living Americans carry the surname Blas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,439 residents.
How common is Blas?
Blas ranks #7,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,243 people with the surname Blas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Blas.
Has Blas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blas went from 3,612 recorded bearers to 4,243. That is an increase of 631 (+17.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,045 to #7,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Blas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%) and White (10.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (2,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (63.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%), White (10.4%). 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 Blas (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 Blas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin name Blasius, which means "lisping" or "stammering." 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 Blas (1.42 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 surname Blas?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.