Blei last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Blei

A surname derived from the German word for lead, possibly referring to an occupation related to lead mining or working.

Blei, 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 Blei surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blei in America

Blei is the 89403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blei surname appeared 207 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 Blei.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blei 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 89403 77742 13.95%
Count 207 229 -10.09%
Proportion per 100k 0.07 0.08 -13.33%

The history of the last name Blei

The surname BLEI is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Blei," which means "lead," suggesting that the name may have been originally associated with someone who worked with lead or lived near a lead mine.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BLEI can be traced back to the mid-16th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest records include Johannes Blei, born in Augsburg in 1542, and Hans Blei, a blacksmith from Freiburg im Breisgau, mentioned in a guild registry from 1568.

One notable historical reference to the surname BLEI can be found in the "Kirchenbücher" (church records) of the town of Nürnberg, where a family with the surname Blei is mentioned as early as 1598. These records provide valuable insights into the lives and occupations of the Blei family members during that time period.

In the 17th century, the surname BLEI began to spread beyond the borders of Germany, with some families migrating to neighboring countries such as Switzerland and Austria. One example is Johann Blei, born in Bern, Switzerland, in 1623, who was a renowned clockmaker and goldsmith.

As the centuries passed, the BLEI surname continued to be associated with various professions and occupations, including mining, metalworking, and even academia. In the 19th century, Karl Blei (1818-1892) was a prominent German geologist and mineralogist, known for his contributions to the study of ore deposits and mineral formations.

Other notable individuals with the surname BLEI include:

  1. Gottlieb Blei (1798-1878), a German composer and music educator.
  2. Franz Blei (1867-1942), an Austrian writer and literary critic.
  3. Albert Blei (1876-1947), a German politician and member of the Reichstag.
  4. Theodor Blei (1885-1967), a German painter and printmaker associated with the Expressionist movement.
  5. Erich Blei (1901-1977), a German-American author and literary critic.

These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals who carried the surname BLEI throughout history, reflecting the rich tapestry of cultural and professional contributions associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blei

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

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 Blei was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.14% 199
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 2.90% 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 Blei has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.14% 97.38% -1.28%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic 2.90% 2.18% 28.35%

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

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

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

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

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

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