2000
#2,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,273
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.29
Uncommon Last name
Bliss
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a blissful or joyous place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,118 Americans carry the last name Bliss. That puts it at #2,501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bliss 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 Bliss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,265
Census rank
#2,501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,056 bearers of the surname Bliss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bliss, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bliss
The surname Bliss originated in England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "blis" or "bliss," which means "joy" or "gladness." The name likely referred to someone with a cheerful or happy disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bliss appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Bliss is mentioned. The surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a Robert le Blys.
In the 13th century, the name was commonly spelled as "Blys" or "Blis," reflecting the Old English pronunciation. Over time, the spelling evolved to the modern "Bliss." The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire.
The Bliss surname is associated with several notable historical figures. One of the earliest was Sir William Bliss (c. 1390-1465), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. Another prominent Bliss was Sir James Bliss (1535-1587), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the Bliss family established themselves in New England, with Thomas Bliss (1580-1640) being one of the early settlers in Massachusetts. His son, Reverend Jonathan Bliss (1597-1684), was a prominent Puritan minister and co-founder of the town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts.
Other notable individuals with the surname Bliss include Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876), an American writer of hymns and gospel songs, and Sir Arthur Bliss (1891-1975), an English composer and conductor who was Master of the Queen's Music from 1953 to 1975.
The Bliss surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Bliss Nook in Gloucestershire and Bliss Mill in Oxfordshire, reflecting the historical presence of the family in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bliss
Among Census respondents with the surname Bliss, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bliss 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 Bliss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 12,495
- Two or more races3.9% · 555
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 507
- Black or African American1.9% · 263
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 135
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bliss
Bliss 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
#2,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,588
+315 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.95
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#2,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,056
-532 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,324 | 14,273 | 5.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,471 | 14,588 | 4.95 | +315 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #2,501 | 14,056 | 4.70 | -532 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 30 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 Bliss 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 | #2,471 | #2,501 | -1.2% |
| Count | 14,588 | 14,056 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.95 | 4.70 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bliss bearers went from 14,588 to 14,056 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,471 to #2,501.
FAQ
Bliss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bliss?
Name Census estimates that about 16,118 living Americans carry the surname Bliss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,265 residents.
How common is Bliss?
Bliss ranks #2,501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,056 people with the surname Bliss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Bliss.
Has Bliss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bliss went from 14,588 recorded bearers to 14,056. That is a decrease of 532 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,471 to #2,501.
What does the Census say about the background of Bliss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bliss, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bliss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (12,495 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bliss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bliss (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 Bliss mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a blissful or joyous place. 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 Bliss (4.70 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 Bliss?
See how many Americans have the surname Bliss on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.