2000
#7,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,071
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Blosser
An occupational surname referring to someone who plays brass musical instruments, particularly trumpets or horns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,505 Americans carry the last name Blosser. That puts it at #8,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blosser 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
4.5K
1 in 76,083
Census rank
#8,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,929 bearers of the surname Blosser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blosser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blosser
The surname Blosser originated in the German states during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "blossen," which means "to blossom." The name likely referred to a person who lived near a blossoming tree or garden.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blosser dates back to 1396 in the town of Nuremberg, where a Johannes Blosser is mentioned in a local registry. In the 15th century, the Blosser family spread to other parts of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several Blossers became prominent figures in various German cities. For instance, Hans Blosser (1512-1587) was a respected merchant and alderman in the city of Augsburg. Another notable Blosser was Martin Blosser (1562-1628), a Lutheran theologian and author from Leipzig.
As the Blosser family grew, members of the family began to migrate to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One of the earliest Blossers to arrive in the United States was Hans Blosser, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1732.
Throughout the 19th century, the Blosser name appeared in various regions of the United States, with several individuals achieving notable accomplishments. One such person was John Blosser (1798-1876), a prominent farmer and landowner in Ohio. Another was William Blosser (1821-1903), a Union Army veteran who served in the Civil War.
In the early 20th century, a Blosser family from Germany immigrated to Australia, where they established themselves as successful farmers and landowners. One member of this family, Heinrich Blosser (1887-1964), became a respected community leader and served as the mayor of a small town in South Australia.
Other notable individuals with the surname Blosser include the American painter and illustrator Victor Blosser (1878-1962), known for his depictions of rural life, and the German-American author and poet Gerda Blosser (1924-2004), whose works explored themes of identity and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blosser
Among Census respondents with the surname Blosser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Blosser 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 Blosser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 3,716
- Two or more races3.1% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blosser
Blosser 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
#7,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,167
+96 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 405 places
2020
#8,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,929
-238 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,535 | 4,071 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,940 | 4,167 | 1.41 | +96 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 405 places |
| 2020 | #8,078 | 3,929 | 1.31 | -238 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 138 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 Blosser 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 | #7,940 | #8,078 | -1.7% |
| Count | 4,167 | 3,929 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.31 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blosser bearers went from 4,167 to 3,929 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,940 to #8,078.
FAQ
Blosser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blosser?
Name Census estimates that about 4,505 living Americans carry the surname Blosser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,083 residents.
How common is Blosser?
Blosser ranks #8,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,929 people with the surname Blosser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,505), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Blosser.
Has Blosser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blosser went from 4,167 recorded bearers to 3,929. That is a decrease of 238 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,940 to #8,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Blosser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blosser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Blosser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (3,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blosser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Blosser (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 Blosser mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who plays brass musical instruments, particularly trumpets or horns. 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 Blosser (1.31 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 Blosser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.