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

Bletcher, 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 Bletcher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bletcher in America

Bletcher is the 98982nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bletcher surname appeared 183 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 Bletcher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bletcher 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 Bletcher

The surname Bletcher is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "blaec," meaning "black" or "dark," and is believed to have been an occupational name for a bleacher or a person who whitened cloth or linen.

The earliest known recording of the name Bletcher dates back to 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where it was spelled as "Blecchere." The variant spellings of the name, such as "Bletchere" and "Bletcher," were also found in various medieval records, including the Pipe Rolls of Somerset and the Hearth Tax Rolls of Oxfordshire.

In the 15th century, the name Bletcher appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a certain John Bletcher was mentioned as a tenant in the year 1458. This record suggests that the name was well-established in the northern counties of England during that time period.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Bletcher was Robert Bletcher, who was born in Oxfordshire, England, around 1520. He was a prominent cloth merchant and is believed to have been involved in the bleaching and whitening of fabrics, which may have contributed to the occupational origin of the name.

Another notable bearer of the Bletcher surname was William Bletcher, born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1638. He was a Puritan clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises, including "The Godly Man's Ark" and "The Christian's Refuge."

In the 17th century, the Bletcher family established themselves in the village of Bletcher's Green, located in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. This place name is likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of a significant Bletcher population in the area.

During the 18th century, John Bletcher (1702-1778) gained recognition as a successful merchant and landowner in Bristol, England. His son, Thomas Bletcher (1738-1812), followed in his footsteps and became a notable figure in the city's mercantile community.

Another individual of note was Samuel Bletcher (1768-1842), who was born in Devonshire, England, and later emigrated to the United States. He served as a lieutenant in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and was awarded a land grant for his service.

Throughout its history, the surname Bletcher has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergymen, landowners, and military personnel, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bletcher

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!