Find out how popular the last name Blea is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Blea.

Blea, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Blea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blea in America

Blea is the 15284th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blea surname appeared 1,921 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Blea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blea to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Blea

The surname BLEA is believed to have originated in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland, during the medieval period. The name is derived from an Old English word "blæc," which means "pale" or "wan," referring to someone with a pale complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BLEA can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was William Blea, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1230. In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, a certain John Blea was also recorded.

Although the name BLEA does not appear in the Domesday Book, it is found in various other historical records and manuscripts from the Middle Ages. For instance, in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, a person named Richard Blea was listed as a taxpayer.

The surname BLEA was sometimes associated with certain place names or locations, particularly in areas where the name was more prevalent. For example, in Yorkshire, there was a hamlet called Blea Brow, which may have influenced the surname's usage in that region.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname BLEA. One such person was John Blea, a wealthy merchant from London who lived in the 15th century. Another was William Blea, a clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham during the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure was Thomas Blea, a British explorer and navigator who accompanied Captain James Cook on his famous voyages to the Pacific Ocean. Blea played a crucial role in mapping and charting new territories during these expeditions.

Moving into the 18th century, there was Robert Blea, a Scottish poet and playwright who gained recognition for his satirical works and social commentaries. His birth and death years are unfortunately unknown, but his works were widely circulated in literary circles of the time.

Finally, in the 19th century, one notable bearer of the BLEA surname was Sarah Blea, a pioneering educator and women's rights activist from England. She was born in 1820 and dedicated her life to establishing schools for underprivileged children and advocating for equal educational opportunities for girls.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blea

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Blea.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Blea was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Blea has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Blea was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Blea, please contact us.

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