2000
#856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,841
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.66
Uncommon Last name
Blevins
From the Welsh place name Bleddyn, possibly meaning "wolf cub" or derived from the Celtic word for "flower."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,786 Americans carry the last name Blevins. That puts it at #940 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,203 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blevins 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Blevins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,203
Census rank
#940
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,439 bearers of the surname Blevins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 940th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blevins, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blevins
The surname Blevins originated in England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, during the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "blea" meaning "dark-colored" and "vin" meaning "pasture" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a dark-colored meadow or field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Oxfordshire Hundred Rolls of 1279, where it appears as "Robert de Blevene." The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I, containing details of landowners and their properties.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Blevyn," "Blevyne," and "Blevyng," reflecting the evolving spelling patterns of the time. For instance, the Gloucestershire Subsidy Rolls of 1327 mention a "Richard Blevyn."
The Blevins surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Blevyn, a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1399. Another was John Blevyn, who served as the Mayor of Gloucester in 1458.
During the 16th century, the name is found in various records, including the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1524, which list a "Thomas Blevyns." Additionally, the Gloucestershire Musters of 1542 mention a "William Blevyns."
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the New World, as some Blevins families migrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Richard Blevins, who settled in Virginia in the 1650s.
Another notable individual was Benjamin Blevins, a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia who fought in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781. His descendants went on to establish prominent Blevins families in the Appalachian regions of Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
In the 19th century, one of the most prominent figures with the Blevins surname was Robert Blevins, a wealthy landowner and politician from Kentucky. He served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives and was instrumental in the establishment of several educational institutions in the state.
While the Blevins surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, where descendants of the early Blevins settlers can be found.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blevins
Among Census respondents with the surname Blevins, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Blevins 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 Blevins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 31,258
- Black or African American5.4% · 1,960
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,685
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 936
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 407
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 193
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blevins
Blevins 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
#906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,229
+1,388 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 12.96
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,439
-1,790 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 12.19
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #856 | 36,841 | 13.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #906 | 38,229 | 12.96 | +1,388 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #940 | 36,439 | 12.19 | -1,790 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 34 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 Blevins 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 | #906 | #940 | -3.8% |
| Count | 38,229 | 36,439 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 12.96 | 12.19 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blevins bearers went from 38,229 to 36,439 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #906 to #940.
FAQ
Blevins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blevins?
Name Census estimates that about 41,786 living Americans carry the surname Blevins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,203 residents.
How common is Blevins?
Blevins ranks #940 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,439 people with the surname Blevins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Blevins.
Has Blevins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blevins went from 38,229 recorded bearers to 36,439. That is a decrease of 1,790 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #906 to #940.
What does the Census say about the background of Blevins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blevins, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Blevins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (31,258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blevins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Blevins (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 Blevins mean?
From the Welsh place name Bleddyn, possibly meaning "wolf cub" or derived from the Celtic word for "flower." 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 Blevins (12.19 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 common is the surname Blevins?
See how common the surname Blevins is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.