2000
#1,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,686
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.04
Uncommon Last name
Block
An occupational surname referring to someone who blocks or shapes hats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,664 Americans carry the last name Block. That puts it at #1,703 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Block 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 Block with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,484
Census rank
#1,703
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,636 bearers of the surname Block in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1703rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Block, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents compiled in the 13th century, where a person named "Henricus Bloc" is mentioned in a document dated 1268.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).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Block
Among Census respondents with the surname Block, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Block 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 Block surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 18,161
- Black or African American4.2% · 874
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 729
- Two or more races2.9% · 607
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Block
Block 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
#1,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,717
+31 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 7.36
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#1,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,636
-1,081 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 6.90
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,518 | 21,686 | 8.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,658 | 21,717 | 7.36 | +31 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #1,703 | 20,636 | 6.90 | -1,081 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 45 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 Block 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 | #1,658 | #1,703 | -2.7% |
| Count | 21,717 | 20,636 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.36 | 6.90 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Block bearers went from 21,717 to 20,636 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,658 to #1,703.
FAQ
Block surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Block?
Name Census estimates that about 23,664 living Americans carry the surname Block. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,484 residents.
How common is Block?
Block ranks #1,703 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,636 people with the surname Block. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,664), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Block.
Has Block become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Block went from 21,717 recorded bearers to 20,636. That is a decrease of 1,081 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,658 to #1,703.
What does the Census say about the background of Block?
Among Census respondents with the surname Block, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Block in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (18,161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Block appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (4.2%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Block (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 Block mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who blocks or shapes hats. 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 Block (6.90 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 common is the surname Block?
Find out how many people have the last name Block on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.