2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bloesch
A surname of Swiss origin, derived from the Swiss German word "Bloes" meaning "bare" or "bald."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bloesch. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bloesch 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bloesch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloesch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bloesch
The surname Bloesch has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in Switzerland and parts of southern Germany. The name likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
One theory suggests that Bloesch is derived from the Old High German word "bluozen," which means "to bloom" or "to blossom." This could indicate that the name was originally an occupational surname given to individuals involved in horticulture or gardening professions. Alternatively, it may have been a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near a blooming meadow or field.
Another possible origin of the name Bloesch is that it evolved from a place name or a topographic feature. In Switzerland and parts of Germany, there are several locations with names containing the root "Bloes" or "Blösch," which could have served as the basis for the surname.
The earliest recorded instances of the Bloesch surname can be found in Swiss historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable example is Johann Bloesch, a Swiss Protestant reformer born in Zurich in 1499, who played a significant role in the Swiss Reformation movement.
In the 17th century, the surname appears in various German-language documents and manuscripts, including references to individuals such as Hans Bloesch, a merchant from Basel, Switzerland, who lived from 1620 to 1689.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the Bloesch surname made notable contributions in various fields. For instance, Johann Jakob Bloesch (1742-1808) was a Swiss painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings. Another notable figure was Johann Ludwig Bloesch (1792-1855), a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as the President of the Swiss National Council in 1848.
In the realm of literature, the German writer and poet Max Bloesch (1871-1951) gained recognition for his works exploring themes of nature, love, and spirituality. Additionally, the Swiss artist and sculptor Otto Bloesch (1904-1993) gained acclaim for his abstract and figurative sculptures, many of which can be found in public spaces throughout Switzerland.
While the Bloesch surname is primarily associated with Switzerland and southern Germany, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots can be traced back to the Germanic regions of Europe and the various historical figures who carried this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bloesch
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloesch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bloesch 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 Bloesch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bloesch
Bloesch 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,209 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,209 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 9,289 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 Bloesch 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 | #140,157 | #149,446 | -6.6% |
| Count | 119 | 110 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bloesch bearers went from 119 to 110 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 9,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bloesch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bloesch?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bloesch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bloesch?
Bloesch ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Bloesch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Bloesch.
Has Bloesch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bloesch went from 119 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bloesch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloesch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bloesch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bloesch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Bloesch (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 Bloesch mean?
A surname of Swiss origin, derived from the Swiss German word "Bloes" meaning "bare" or "bald." 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 Bloesch (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 Americans have the surname Bloesch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.