2000
#21,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Blay
A French surname derived from the word "blaye" meaning a stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,347 Americans carry the last name Blay. That puts it at #22,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 254,458 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blay 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Blay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 254,458
Census rank
#22,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,175 bearers of the surname Blay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blay, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blay
The surname BLAY has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "blæc," which means "pale" or "white." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a pale or fair complexion.
The name BLAY was particularly prevalent in the counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, where it is believed to have originated. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a John le Blay residing in Hertfordshire.
In the 14th century, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a Thomas Blay living in Bedfordshire. This record provides evidence of the name's transition from the older "le Blay" spelling to the more modern "Blay" form.
The BLAY surname has also been linked to various place names, such as Blay's Grove in Hertfordshire and Blay's Farm in Bedfordshire. These locations may have been named after early BLAY families who settled or owned land in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname BLAY include:
1. John Blay (c. 1545 - 1594), an English clergyman and author who wrote treatises on theology and philosophy.
2. William Blay (1675 - 1732), a British architect known for designing several churches and country houses in the Baroque style.
3. Elizabeth Blay (1789 - 1867), a British philanthropist and social reformer who advocated for the education of women and the abolition of slavery.
4. Thomas Blay (1818 - 1893), an English explorer and naturalist who documented the flora and fauna of various regions in Africa and Asia.
5. Charlotte Blay (1901 - 1978), an American artist and painter known for her vibrant landscapes and still life works.
While the BLAY surname has variations in spelling, such as Blaye, Blai, and Blaie, the core meaning and origin remain rooted in the Old English descriptor of pale or fair complexion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blay
Among Census respondents with the surname Blay, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Blay 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 Blay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.1% · 659
- Black or African American20.6% · 242
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.6% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 95
- Two or more races3.1% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blay
Blay 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
#21,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,229
+120 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 528 places
2020
#22,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,175
-54 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 1,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,848 | 1,109 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,320 | 1,229 | 0.42 | +120 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 528 places |
| 2020 | #22,446 | 1,175 | 0.39 | -54 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 1,126 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 Blay 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 | #21,320 | #22,446 | -5.3% |
| Count | 1,229 | 1,175 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.42 | 0.39 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blay bearers went from 1,229 to 1,175 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 1,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,320 to #22,446.
FAQ
Blay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blay?
Name Census estimates that about 1,347 living Americans carry the surname Blay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 254,458 residents.
How common is Blay?
Blay ranks #22,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 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 1,175 people with the surname Blay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 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 Blay.
Has Blay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blay went from 1,229 recorded bearers to 1,175. That is a decrease of 54 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,320 to #22,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Blay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blay, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%). 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 Blay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (659 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.1%), Black (20.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.6%). 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 Blay (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 Blay mean?
A French surname derived from the word "blaye" meaning a stream or brook. 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 Blay (0.39 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 Blay?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.