2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bliemeister
Likely an occupational surname of German origin referring to a master of bell-making or related metalwork.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Bliemeister. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bliemeister 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Bliemeister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bliemeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bliemeister
The surname BLIEMEISTER originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the occupational title "Bleiemeister," which translates to "master of lead" or "lead worker" in German. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in the lead trade or worked as skilled craftsmen with lead.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BLIEMEISTER surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Worms, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. In 1583, a certain Hans BLIEMEISTER is mentioned as a resident of the town, working as a lead roofer.
During the 17th century, the BLIEMEISTER name appeared in various regions of Germany, including the states of Saxony and Bavaria. In 1627, a Johann BLIEMEISTER was listed as a master lead worker in the city records of Dresden, Saxony.
As the name spread across different regions, minor variations in spelling emerged, such as BLEYMEISTER and BLIEMEYER. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the phonetic interpretation of the name by local scribes.
One notable bearer of the BLIEMEISTER surname was Karl BLIEMEISTER, a renowned architect and urban planner who lived from 1824 to 1892. He was responsible for designing several significant buildings in the city of Leipzig, including the Leipzig City Hall and the Leipzig Central Station.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Friedrich BLIEMEISTER, a German-American historian and author who was born in 1848 in Hanover, Germany, and later immigrated to the United States. He wrote extensively on the history of German settlements in America and was a respected scholar in his field.
In the 19th century, the BLIEMEISTER surname also appeared in records from the town of Aachen, located in western Germany near the Dutch border. A certain Wilhelm BLIEMEISTER, born in 1837, was documented as a successful merchant and business owner in the city.
While the BLIEMEISTER name has its origins in Germany, over the centuries, it has spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. However, its earliest recorded instances and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the German-speaking regions of central and western Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bliemeister
Among Census respondents with the surname Bliemeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bliemeister 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 Bliemeister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bliemeister
Bliemeister 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+5 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,190 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 4,190 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 8,579 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 Bliemeister 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 | #136,449 | #145,028 | -6.3% |
| Count | 123 | 116 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bliemeister bearers went from 123 to 116 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 8,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,028.
FAQ
Bliemeister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bliemeister?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Bliemeister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Bliemeister?
Bliemeister ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Bliemeister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Bliemeister.
Has Bliemeister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bliemeister went from 123 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Bliemeister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bliemeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Bliemeister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bliemeister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (1.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Bliemeister (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 Bliemeister mean?
Likely an occupational surname of German origin referring to a master of bell-making or related metalwork. 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 Bliemeister (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 people have the last name Bliemeister?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Bliemeister at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.