2000
#4,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,878
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Blodgett
Derived from a place name meaning "dark stream" in Old English, likely referring to a dark or muddy stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,846 Americans carry the last name Blodgett. That puts it at #4,975 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,685 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blodgett 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
7.8K
1 in 43,685
Census rank
#4,975
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,842 bearers of the surname Blodgett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4975th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blodgett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blodgett
The surname Blodgett originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "blod" meaning blood and "geat" meaning gate or road, possibly referring to a bloody battle or an area where bloodshed occurred. Alternatively, it may have referred to a person's occupation, such as a worker at a slaughterhouse or butcher shop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blodgett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mention a William Blodgett. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also reference a John Blodgett in Oxfordshire. These early records suggest the name was present in various parts of England during the Middle Ages.
In the late 16th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Blodget, Blodghit, and Blodgitt. A notable bearer of the name from this time was John Blodgett, a wealthy merchant from London who was born around 1550 and died in 1615.
During the 17th century, several members of the Blodgett family migrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest was Thomas Blodgett, who was born in England in 1625 and settled in Massachusetts in 1635. Another early American Blodgett was Benjamin Blodgett, who was born in 1670 in Woburn, Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, the Blodgett surname gained prominence in various parts of New England. Reverend Samuel Blodgett, born in 1724 in Woburn, Massachusetts, was a notable figure who served as a minister and chaplain during the Revolutionary War. Another notable bearer of the name was William Blodgett, born in 1756 in New Hampshire, who was a successful businessman and landowner.
Throughout the 19th century, the Blodgett name continued to be found across the United States. One notable figure was Henry Williams Blodgett, born in 1821 in Amherst, Massachusetts, who became a prominent lawyer and served as a judge in Illinois. Another was Rufus Blodgett, born in 1834 in New York, who was a successful industrialist and inventor known for his contributions to the development of the typewriter.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have borne the surname Blodgett throughout history. While the name has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread and become well-established in various parts of the world, particularly in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blodgett
Among Census respondents with the surname Blodgett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Blodgett 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 Blodgett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 6,233
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 239
- Two or more races3.2% · 222
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 57
- Black or African American0.7% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blodgett
Blodgett 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
#4,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,157
+279 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#4,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,842
-315 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.29
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,712 | 6,878 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,913 | 7,157 | 2.43 | +279 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #4,975 | 6,842 | 2.29 | -315 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 62 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 Blodgett 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 | #4,913 | #4,975 | -1.3% |
| Count | 7,157 | 6,842 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.43 | 2.29 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blodgett bearers went from 7,157 to 6,842 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,913 to #4,975.
FAQ
Blodgett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blodgett?
Name Census estimates that about 7,846 living Americans carry the surname Blodgett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,685 residents.
How common is Blodgett?
Blodgett ranks #4,975 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,842 people with the surname Blodgett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Blodgett.
Has Blodgett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blodgett went from 7,157 recorded bearers to 6,842. That is a decrease of 315 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,913 to #4,975.
What does the Census say about the background of Blodgett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blodgett, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Blodgett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (6,233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blodgett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Blodgett (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 Blodgett mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dark stream" in Old English, likely referring to a dark or muddy stream. 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 Blodgett (2.29 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 Blodgett?
Want to know how many people have the surname Blodgett? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.