Blech last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Blech

A variation of the German surname Blech referring to a tinsmith or maker of metal objects.

Blech, 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 Blech surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blech in America

Blech is the 64054th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blech surname appeared 311 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Blech.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blech 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 64054 67936 -5.88%
Count 311 271 13.75%
Proportion per 100k 0.11 0.10 9.52%

The history of the last name Blech

The surname Blech is of German origin, originating from the region of Bavaria in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "blech," which means "metallic sheet" or "tin plate." This suggests that the name may have been associated with metalworkers or those involved in the metalworking industry.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blech can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to the late 16th century. These records mention a family of metalworkers with the surname Blech, indicating that the name was likely occupational in nature.

In the 17th century, the name Blech appeared in various church records and legal documents across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its initial origins and was becoming more widespread.

A notable historical figure with the surname Blech was Johann Blech, a German composer and organist who lived from 1651 to 1706. He was celebrated for his sacred compositions and served as the court organist in the city of Mannheim.

Another individual of note was Hans Blech, a German politician and diplomat who lived from 1888 to 1961. He served as the ambassador to Sweden during the Weimar Republic and later became a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

In the 19th century, the name Blech was found in various census records and city directories across German-speaking regions. One notable example was Friedrich Blech, a German artist and painter who lived from 1805 to 1877 and was known for his landscape paintings depicting the Black Forest region.

As the name Blech spread throughout Germany, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas through various waves of German immigration. Johann Blech, a German-American immigrant who lived from 1798 to 1877, was a noted watchmaker and silversmith in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Throughout history, the surname Blech has maintained its association with metalworking and craftsmanship, reflecting the occupational roots of the name. While not as common as some other German surnames, it has left its mark across various regions and professions, contributing to the rich tapestry of family names and their origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blech

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

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 Blech was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.78% 301
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 1.93% 6

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 Blech has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.78% 96.68% 0.10%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 1.93% (S)% (S)%

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 Blech was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Blech last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 11, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/blech-surname-popularity/.

"Blech last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/blech-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 July, 2025

Blech last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/blech-surname-popularity/.

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