2000
#31,053
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Blew
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning to blow or blossom.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 851 Americans carry the last name Blew. That puts it at #33,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 402,767 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blew 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 Blew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
851
1 in 402,767
Census rank
#33,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
742
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 742 bearers of the surname Blew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blew, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blew
The surname Blew has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "blaew," meaning "blue" or "blue-colored." This name is believed to have been given to someone with blue eyes or with a pale complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blew can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Bleu" in this historical document.
During the Middle Ages, the name Blew was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, where it likely originated from various place names containing the word "blue," such as Blewbury in Oxfordshire or Blakeney in Gloucestershire.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named John Blew (c. 1320-1390) was recorded as a landowner in the village of Blewbury, Oxfordshire. This village's name is believed to have derived from the Old English words "blæw" and "bury," meaning "blue hill or fort."
Another early example of the name Blew can be found in the records of Oxford University, where a student named Thomas Blew (c. 1450-1520) was enrolled in the late 15th century. He later became a prominent scholar and served as the Rector of Lincoln College.
During the 16th century, the name Blew appeared in various historical records, including the parish registers of several English counties. One notable individual from this period was William Blew (c. 1550-1610), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 17th century, the Blew family gained prominence in the county of Somerset, where several members held influential positions in local governance and trade. One such individual was Sir John Blew (1622-1698), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament who served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1670.
The 18th century saw the emergence of another notable figure named Blew, Rev. William John Blew (1770-1843), who was a prominent Anglican clergyman and author from Gloucestershire. He published several works on theology and religious education during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blew
Among Census respondents with the surname Blew, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Blew 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 Blew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 697
- Two or more races3.2% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blew
Blew 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
#32,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 705
-2 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,546 places
2020
#33,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 742
+37 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 503 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,053 | 707 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,599 | 705 | 0.24 | -2 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 1,546 places |
| 2020 | #33,102 | 742 | 0.25 | +37 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 503 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 Blew 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 | #32,599 | #33,102 | -1.5% |
| Count | 705 | 742 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.25 | 3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blew bearers went from 705 to 742 (+5.2% change). The surname moved down 503 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,599 to #33,102.
FAQ
Blew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blew?
Name Census estimates that about 851 living Americans carry the surname Blew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 402,767 residents.
How common is Blew?
Blew ranks #33,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 742 people with the surname Blew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Blew.
Has Blew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blew went from 705 recorded bearers to 742. That is an increase of 37 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,599 to #33,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Blew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blew, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Blew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (697 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Blew (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 Blew mean?
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning to blow or blossom. 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 Blew (0.25 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 Blew?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.