2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Blessen
A contracted form of the word "blesser" meaning to bless or sanctify.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Blessen. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blessen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Blessen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blessen
The surname BLESSEN has its origins in Germany, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "blessen," which means "to mark" or "to brand." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who were involved in livestock branding or marking.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the BLESSEN name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It can be found in various historical records and documents from that period, including church registers and tax records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BLESSEN surname can be traced back to a document from 1542, which mentions a certain Hans BLESSEN, a farmer from the village of Oberammergau in Bavaria. Another notable early reference is found in the Kirchenbuch (church book) of Meissen, Saxony, where a Johann BLESSEN is listed as a blacksmith in 1587.
In the 18th century, the BLESSEN name began to spread beyond Bavaria and Saxony as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. During this time, variations in spelling, such as BLESEN and BLESSIN, also emerged.
Notable individuals with the BLESSEN surname throughout history include:
1. Friedrich BLESSEN (1782-1855), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in Saxony.
2. Maximilian BLESSEN (1823-1901), a Bavarian painter known for his landscapes and religious artworks.
3. Emilie BLESSEN (1847-1923), a German operatic soprano who performed in various theaters across Europe.
4. Karl BLESSEN (1866-1941), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Blessen Machinery Company in Berlin.
5. Gerhard BLESSEN (1914-1997), a German soldier who served in the Wehrmacht during World War II and later became a prominent author and historian.
While the BLESSEN name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide valuable insights into the origin and early occurrences of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blessen
Among Census respondents with the surname Blessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Blessen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Blessen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blessen
Blessen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,990 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+15 bearers (+14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 8,990 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.6%) | Up 13,723 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Blessen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157,234 | #143,511 | 8.7% |
| Count | 103 | 118 | 14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blessen bearers went from 103 to 118 (+14.6% change). The surname moved up 13,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #143,511.
FAQ
Blessen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blessen?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Blessen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Blessen?
Blessen ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Blessen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Blessen.
Has Blessen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blessen went from 103 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 15 (+14.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Blessen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blessen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blessen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blessen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Blessen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Blessen mean?
A contracted form of the word "blesser" meaning to bless or sanctify. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Blessen (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Blessen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.