2000
#9,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Blom
A Swedish ornamental surname derived from the word "blom," meaning "flower."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,590 Americans carry the last name Blom. That puts it at #9,857 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blom 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 Blom with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,475
Census rank
#9,857
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,131 bearers of the surname Blom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9857th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blom
The surname Blom is of Dutch origin, deriving from the Middle Dutch word "blom" or "bloom," meaning "flower." This name first emerged in the Netherlands during the medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Blom surname can be found in the Guelders archives from the year 1382, which mentions a certain Henric Blom. The name was particularly prevalent in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland, Noord-Brabant, and Zuid-Holland during this time.
The Blom surname is believed to have originated as a descriptive name, perhaps referring to someone who lived near a flowering plant or worked in a profession related to flowers or horticulture. It could also have been used as a nickname for someone with a rosy complexion or a cheerful demeanor.
In the 16th century, the Blom surname can be found in various Dutch records, such as the Utrecht archives from 1572, which mention a Willem Blom. During this period, variations of the spelling, such as Bloom and Bloem, were also common.
Notable historical figures bearing the Blom surname include Matthys Blom (1619-1682), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life works, and Pieter Blom (1701-1764), a Dutch architect and city planner who designed the famous Basilica of St. Willibrord in Utrecht.
Other prominent individuals with this surname are Jan Blom (1836-1904), a Dutch botanist and horticulturist who specialized in the study of orchids, and Dirk Blom (1884-1959), a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives.
In the literary world, the Dutch author and poet Willem Blom (1906-1999) gained recognition for his works exploring themes of rural life and the natural world.
While the Blom surname originated in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Dutch migration and settlement in various countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blom
Among Census respondents with the surname Blom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blom 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 Blom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,879
- Two or more races3.5% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blom
Blom 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
#10,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,103
-3 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 779 places
2020
#9,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,131
+28 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,603 | 3,106 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,382 | 3,103 | 1.05 | -3 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 779 places |
| 2020 | #9,857 | 3,131 | 1.05 | +28 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 525 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 Blom 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 | #10,382 | #9,857 | 5.1% |
| Count | 3,103 | 3,131 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 1.05 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blom bearers went from 3,103 to 3,131 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 525 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,382 to #9,857.
FAQ
Blom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blom?
Name Census estimates that about 3,590 living Americans carry the surname Blom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,475 residents.
How common is Blom?
Blom ranks #9,857 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,131 people with the surname Blom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,590), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Blom.
Has Blom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blom went from 3,103 recorded bearers to 3,131. That is an increase of 28 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,382 to #9,857.
What does the Census say about the background of Blom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blom, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Blom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,879 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Blom (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 Blom mean?
A Swedish ornamental surname derived from the word "blom," meaning "flower." 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 Blom (1.05 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 surname Blom?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.