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

Blee, 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 Blee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blee in America

Blee is the 63524th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blee surname appeared 314 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 Blee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blee 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 Blee

The surname BLEE originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, which dates back to the 5th to 11th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "blæc," meaning "pale" or "white." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a particularly light complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BLEE surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation conducted during the reign of William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Blaec" and "Blæc," indicating the variations that existed in that era.

During the Middle Ages, the BLEE surname was commonly found in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia. Some notable individuals bearing this name include John Blee, a yeoman farmer from Suffolk, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1327, and William Blee, a landowner from Norfolk, whose name appears in the Feet of Fines records from 1428.

In the 16th century, the BLEE surname was also associated with a small village called Blee St. Andrew in Norfolk, which was likely named after an early settler with the same surname. This connection suggests that the BLEE family may have originated in that region and subsequently spread to other parts of England.

Notable figures with the BLEE surname throughout history include Sir John Blee (1593-1661), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk during the reign of Charles I, and Reverend Thomas Blee (1662-1730), an Anglican clergyman and author who published several religious works in the early 18th century.

Another notable figure was Captain William Blee (1745-1813), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He was commended for his bravery and leadership in several naval engagements and rose to the rank of post-captain in the Royal Navy.

In the 19th century, John Blee (1822-1898) was a prominent British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Royal Opera House in Malta. His innovative designs and contributions to the field of architecture earned him widespread recognition and respect.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blee

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

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

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

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