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

Blight, 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 Blight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blight in America

Blight is the 45740th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blight surname appeared 467 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 Blight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blight 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 Blight

The surname Blight has its origins in England, with records indicating that it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "bliht," which means "bright" or "shining." This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a bright complexion or a cheerful demeanor.

The earliest known record of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it appears as "Blyht." Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, "Blight." In the 14th century, the name was also recorded in various taxation records and court rolls across different counties in England.

One notable historical reference to the name Blight can be found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as a place name, "Bliht." This place name was likely derived from the same Old English word and may have influenced the development of the surname.

Some of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Blight include John Blight, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327, and William Blight, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Devon in 1379.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Blight. One such person was John Blight (1614-1660), an English clergyman and writer who served as the rector of Venn Ottery in Devon. Another was Thomas Blight (1795-1865), a British naval officer and explorer who surveyed parts of the coast of Western Australia and South Australia.

Other notable individuals with the surname Blight include John Graham Blight (1827-1899), an English architect who designed numerous buildings in the Gothic Revival style, and Reginald Vere Blight (1870-1940), a British military officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Second Boer War.

It is worth mentioning that the surname Blight has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Blight Down in Devon and Blight Farm in Somerset, further reinforcing its historical roots in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blight

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

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

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