2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Blitchington
A locational surname referring to someone from Bletchingdon, a place in Oxfordshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Blitchington. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blitchington 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Blitchington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blitchington, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blitchington
The surname Blitchington has its origins in England, tracing back to the late medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Shropshire, derived from the Old English words "blycc" meaning "bleak" and "ing" referring to a meadow or enclosure, potentially describing the landscape of the area where the name first emerged.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blitchington can be found in the Shropshire Manor Rolls of 1275, where a William de Blitchington is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Blitchcot, now known as Blitchfield. This village name closely resembles the surname, suggesting a strong connection between the place and the family name.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Blitchinton, Blitchyntone, and Blitchyngton, reflecting the fluidity of spelling and pronunciation in those times. A notable figure from this era was Robert Blitchington, born in 1320 in Blitchfield, who served as a court scribe and chronicler during the reign of Edward III.
In the 15th century, the surname Blitchington spread beyond Shropshire, with records showing individuals bearing the name in neighboring counties like Staffordshire and Cheshire. One prominent figure was Sir John Blitchington (1410-1478), a respected lawyer and member of the gentry who owned substantial lands in Staffordshire.
As the centuries progressed, the Blitchington family continued to hold influence and prominence in various parts of England. In the 17th century, Thomas Blitchington (1625-1692) was a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the Rector of Peterborough Cathedral. Another notable figure was Captain William Blitchington (1680-1745), a naval officer who distinguished himself in several battles during the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 19th century, the name gained recognition through the works of the poet and writer Anne Blitchington (1815-1879), whose collections of verse and prose captured the essence of rural life in her native Shropshire. Her contemporary, Sir Edward Blitchington (1820-1895), was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Birmingham.
Throughout its history, the surname Blitchington has maintained a strong presence in various regions of England, particularly in the West Midlands and the surrounding areas. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the picturesque meadows of medieval Shropshire, where the Blitchington family first took root.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blitchington
Among Census respondents with the surname Blitchington, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Blitchington 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 Blitchington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 94
- Two or more races8.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blitchington
Blitchington 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+12 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,430 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-17 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,662 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 2,430 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 15,662 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 Blitchington 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 | #137,327 | #152,989 | -11.4% |
| Count | 122 | 105 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blitchington bearers went from 122 to 105 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 15,662 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #152,989.
FAQ
Blitchington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blitchington?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Blitchington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Blitchington?
Blitchington ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Blitchington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Blitchington.
Has Blitchington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blitchington went from 122 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Blitchington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blitchington, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Blitchington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blitchington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (8.6%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Blitchington (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 Blitchington mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Bletchingdon, a place in Oxfordshire, England. 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 Blitchington (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 Blitchington?
Want to know how many people have the surname Blitchington? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.