Bleess last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bleess

Of German origin, a habitational name for someone from a place named Bleiß.

Bleess, 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 Bleess surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bleess in America

Bleess is the 83834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bleess surname appeared 224 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 Bleess.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bleess 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 83834 92601 -9.94%
Count 224 184 19.61%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.07 13.33%

The history of the last name Bleess

The surname BLEESS is believed to have originated in Germany during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "bleichen," which means "to bleach" or "to whiten." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a bleacher or whitener of fabric or cloth.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BLEESS surname can be found in the Bavarian town of Nuremberg in the year 1287. A merchant named Hans BLEESS was listed in a local census record. The name was also found in other parts of southern Germany during this time period, often spelled as "Bleess" or "Bleische."

In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Johann BLEESS (1321-1387) was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of Augsburg. He was known for his involvement in the local textile trade and his support of various religious organizations.

During the 15th century, the surname BLEESS appeared in several historical documents in the region of Saxony. One noteworthy individual was Matthias BLEESS (1452-1519), a respected scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Leipzig.

By the 16th century, the BLEESS name had spread across various parts of Germany and into neighboring countries. In 1572, a man named Peter BLEESS was recorded as a master weaver in the city of Cologne.

Another historical figure with the BLEESS surname was Johann Friedrich BLEESS (1679-1751), a German composer and organist who was born in the town of Erfurt. He is known for his contributions to the development of baroque music in central Germany.

Throughout the centuries, the BLEESS surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, as well as in other German-speaking areas of Europe. While the name has evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins can be traced back to the occupational roots of bleaching and whitening fabrics in medieval times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bleess

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

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 Bleess was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.77% 219
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
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 0.00% 0

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.77% 98.37% -0.61%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic 0.00% (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 Bleess was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bleess, 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!

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

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

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

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