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

Block, 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 Block surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Block in America

Block is the 1658th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Block surname appeared 21,717 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Block.

We can also compare 2010 data for Block 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 Block

The surname BLOCK is of Germanic origin, derived from the Middle High German word "bloc," meaning a thick piece of wood or a tree stump. It likely originated in the regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents compiled in the 13th century, where a person named "Henricus Bloc" is mentioned in a document dated 1268.

Another early reference to the name appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name "Bloch" is listed as a landowner in the county of Essex.

In the 14th century, the surname BLOCK began to spread across Europe, with various spellings emerging, such as Blok, Blocke, and Bloch. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and scribal errors in transcribing the name.

Notable historical figures with the surname BLOCK include:

1. Adriaen Block (c. 1567-1627), a Dutch explorer and trader who explored parts of the East Coast of North America and is credited with being the first European to establish a settlement in what is now New York City.

2. Marc Block (1491-1551), a German theologian and Reformer who worked alongside Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation.

3. Benjamin Block (1631-1690), a Dutch painter known for his still-life paintings and portraits.

4. Andreas Block (1736-1804), a German composer and violinist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Darmstadt.

5. Paul Block (1877-1941), an American newspaper publisher and co-founder of the Paul Block Newspaper Chain, which owned several newspapers across the United States in the early 20th century.

The name BLOCK has also been associated with various place names, such as Blockhaus (a type of log cabin), Blockland (a region in Germany), and Blocksberg (a mountain range in Germany).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Block

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Block, please contact us.

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