2000
#10,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,807
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Blaser
A German occupational surname referring to someone who plays the trumpet or horn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,260 Americans carry the last name Blaser. That puts it at #10,727 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blaser 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
3.3K
1 in 105,139
Census rank
#10,727
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,843 bearers of the surname Blaser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10727th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blaser
The surname Blaser is believed to have originated in Germany and Switzerland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "blasen," which means "to blow" or "to sound a horn." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who were involved in professions related to blowing horns or musical instruments.
In the medieval period, the Blaser name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Württemberg in Germany, as well as in the Swiss cantons of Bern and Zurich. The name was likely adopted by families whose members were employed as horn players, trumpeters, or musicians in royal courts or military units.
One of the earliest known references to the Blaser name can be found in the Codex Manesse, a 14th-century manuscript containing a collection of Middle High German lyric poetry. This document includes mentions of individuals with the surname Blaser, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
Variations in the spelling of the name, such as "Blaser," "Blazer," and "Blaeser," were common throughout history due to regional dialects and scribal variations. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as "Blaserberg" in Germany, which translates to "Blower's Mountain" or "Trumpet Mountain."
Notable individuals who bore the Blaser surname include:
1. Hans Blaser (c. 1500-1570), a Swiss theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Swiss Reformation.
2. Johann Blaser (1535-1605), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Württemberg.
3. Georg Blaser (1587-1654), a German painter and engraver known for his religious and mythological works.
4. Johann Jakob Blaser (1723-1788), a Swiss physician and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of alpine flora.
5. Johann Rudolf Blaser (1770-1847), a Swiss politician and member of the Grand Council of Bern.
Throughout its history, the Blaser surname has been associated with a diverse range of professions, from musicians and artists to scholars and politicians, reflecting the influence and spread of this name across various regions and contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blaser
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Blaser 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 Blaser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,636
- Two or more races3.2% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blaser
Blaser 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
#10,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,931
+124 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 372 places
2020
#10,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,843
-88 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,499 | 2,807 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,871 | 2,931 | 0.99 | +124 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 372 places |
| 2020 | #10,727 | 2,843 | 0.95 | -88 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 144 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 Blaser 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 | #10,871 | #10,727 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,931 | 2,843 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.95 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blaser bearers went from 2,931 to 2,843 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,871 to #10,727.
FAQ
Blaser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blaser?
Name Census estimates that about 3,260 living Americans carry the surname Blaser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,139 residents.
How common is Blaser?
Blaser ranks #10,727 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,843 people with the surname Blaser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Blaser.
Has Blaser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blaser went from 2,931 recorded bearers to 2,843. That is a decrease of 88 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,871 to #10,727.
What does the Census say about the background of Blaser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blaser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blaser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,636 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blaser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Blaser (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 Blaser mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who plays the trumpet or horn. 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 Blaser (0.95 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 Blaser?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Blaser, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.