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

Bless, 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 Bless surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bless in America

Bless is the 34707th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bless surname appeared 651 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 Bless.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bless 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 Bless

The surname BLESS is believed to have originated in Germany, and the earliest known records of the name date back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "blessen," which means "to blaze" or "to mark with a distinguishing mark." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who was responsible for marking trees or livestock.

One of the earliest documented instances of the BLESS surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Großenhain, located in the German state of Saxony. The records show a man named Hans Bless, who was born in 1587. Another early reference to the name is found in the records of the city of Lübeck, where a person named Joachim Bless is listed as a merchant in the year 1612.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the BLESS name began to spread beyond Germany, with some families emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One notable individual with this surname was Johann Christoph Bless (1743-1811), a German artist and engraver who worked in the Baroque style.

In the 19th century, the BLESS name gained some prominence in the field of literature. Friedrich Bless (1811-1876) was a German writer and poet who published several collections of poems and stories. Another literary figure with this surname was Karl Bless (1854-1927), a German journalist and author who wrote extensively about travel and exploration.

One of the most famous individuals to bear the BLESS surname was Carl Bless (1877-1945), a German industrialist and engineer who played a significant role in the development of the automotive industry. He worked for several major companies, including Daimler-Benz and Opel, and was responsible for innovations in engine design and manufacturing processes.

Other notable individuals with the BLESS surname include Johann Georg Bless (1592-1673), a German artist and sculptor who created works for churches and palaces in the Baroque style, and Johann Friedrich Bless (1705-1757), a German composer and organist who wrote numerous works for the church and for secular occasions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bless

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

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

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

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