2000
#12,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Bloss
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near an open space in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,689 Americans carry the last name Bloss. That puts it at #12,588 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bloss 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 Bloss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,465
Census rank
#12,588
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,345 bearers of the surname Bloss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12588th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bloss
The surname BLOSS originated in England in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'bloss', meaning a blossom or bloom. This name likely referred to someone who lived near a blossoming tree or field of flowers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BLOSS appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, which mention a William Bloss. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list a John le Bloss in Huntingdonshire.
The BLOSS surname is believed to have originated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire in southern England. Early spellings included Blos, Blosse, and Blossee. Some variations may have arisen from the Norman-French influence after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 16th century, the Bloss family held land and estates in the village of Tew in Oxfordshire. A prominent member was Sir Ralph Bloss (1537-1607), who served as a Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire in 1597.
Another notable BLOSS was John Bloss (1686-1752), a British architect who designed several churches and country houses in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire during the early 18th century.
The BLOSS surname also appears in early records from the American colonies. Thomas Bloss (1668-1738) was one of the first settlers in Pennsylvania, arriving from England in 1682 with William Penn's expedition.
During the 19th century, members of the BLOSS family were active in the abolitionist movement in the United States. William Bloss (1795-1873) was a Quaker abolitionist from Pennsylvania who helped enslaved people escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
Other notable individuals with the BLOSS surname include Alfred Bloss (1859-1927), a British artist and painter known for his landscape scenes, and Edgar Bloss (1889-1942), an Australian cricketer who played Test matches for the national team in the 1920s.
While the BLOSS name has roots stretching back over 700 years, it remains a relatively uncommon surname today, particularly outside of England and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bloss
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bloss 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 Bloss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,166
- Two or more races3.3% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bloss
Bloss 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
#12,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,505
+152 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 262 places
2020
#12,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,345
-160 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,149 | 2,353 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,411 | 2,505 | 0.85 | +152 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 262 places |
| 2020 | #12,588 | 2,345 | 0.78 | -160 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 177 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 Bloss 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 | #12,411 | #12,588 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,505 | 2,345 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.78 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bloss bearers went from 2,505 to 2,345 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,411 to #12,588.
FAQ
Bloss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bloss?
Name Census estimates that about 2,689 living Americans carry the surname Bloss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,465 residents.
How common is Bloss?
Bloss ranks #12,588 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,345 people with the surname Bloss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,689), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Bloss.
Has Bloss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bloss went from 2,505 recorded bearers to 2,345. That is a decrease of 160 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,411 to #12,588.
What does the Census say about the background of Bloss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bloss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,166 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bloss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bloss (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 Bloss mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near an open space in a forest. 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 Bloss (0.78 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 last name Bloss?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Bloss is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.