2000
#7,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.55
Rare Last name
Bloomer
An occupational surname referring to a person who bleaches or whitens cloth or fabric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,449 Americans carry the last name Bloomer. That puts it at #8,173 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,041 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bloomer 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 Bloomer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,041
Census rank
#8,173
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,880 bearers of the surname Bloomer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8173rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloomer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bloomer
The surname Bloomer originated in England and is derived from the Old English word "blōman" meaning "a bloom" or "a flowering plant". It was initially an occupational name given to those who cultivated or sold flowers and blossoms, or it might have been a nickname for someone with a florid complexion.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Bloomer can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Blomer" in the county of Hertfordshire. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show variations of the name such as "Blomere" and "Blummere" in various counties across England, including Essex, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Bloomer was Richard Bloomer (c. 1570-1629), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Warden of New College, Oxford, from 1624 until his death.
Another early bearer of the name was John Bloomer (c. 1585-1652), an English merchant who traded with the Dutch East Indies and was involved in the establishment of the East India Company.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Robert Bloomer (1720-1792), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons.
The 19th century saw the rise of Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-1894), an American women's rights activist and advocate of dress reform, who popularized the "bloomer" costume, a type of loose trousers worn under a short skirt.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Bloomer name was George Percival Bloomer (1857-1938), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and was regarded as one of the finest wicket-keepers of his era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bloomer
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloomer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bloomer 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 Bloomer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 3,420
- Black or African American4.5% · 174
- Two or more races3.9% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bloomer
Bloomer 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
#7,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,231
+40 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#8,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,880
-351 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,323 | 4,191 | 1.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,827 | 4,231 | 1.43 | +40 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #8,173 | 3,880 | 1.30 | -351 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 346 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 Bloomer 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 | #7,827 | #8,173 | -4.4% |
| Count | 4,231 | 3,880 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.30 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bloomer bearers went from 4,231 to 3,880 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 346 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,827 to #8,173.
FAQ
Bloomer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bloomer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,449 living Americans carry the surname Bloomer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,041 residents.
How common is Bloomer?
Bloomer ranks #8,173 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,880 people with the surname Bloomer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Bloomer.
Has Bloomer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bloomer went from 4,231 recorded bearers to 3,880. That is a decrease of 351 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,827 to #8,173.
What does the Census say about the background of Bloomer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloomer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Bloomer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (3,420 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bloomer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Black (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Bloomer (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 Bloomer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who bleaches or whitens cloth or fabric. 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 Bloomer (1.30 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 share the surname Bloomer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.