Blevins last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Blevins

From the Welsh place name Bleddyn, possibly meaning "wolf cub" or derived from the Celtic word for "flower."

Blevins, 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 Blevins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blevins in America

Blevins is the 906th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blevins surname appeared 38,229 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Blevins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blevins 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 906 856 5.68%
Count 38,229 36,841 3.70%
Proportion per 100k 12.96 13.66 -5.26%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blevins

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

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 Blevins was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 89.47% 34,203
Non-Hispanic Black Only 5.16% 1,973
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.37% 141
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.15% 440
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.12% 810
Hispanic Origin 1.73% 661

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 Blevins has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 89.47% 91.10% -1.81%
Black 5.16% 4.76% 8.06%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.37% 0.29% 24.24%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.15% 1.03% 11.01%
Two or More Races 2.12% 1.67% 23.75%
Hispanic 1.73% 1.15% 40.28%

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

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

"Blevins last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/blevins-surname-popularity/.

"Blevins last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/blevins-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 December, 2024

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

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.