Find out how popular the last name Blount is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Blount.

Blount, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Blount surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blount in America

Blount is the 1803rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blount surname appeared 19,878 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Blount.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blount to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Blount

The surname Blount is believed to have originated in France, derived from the Old French word "blund" meaning "fair" or "blonde". It is thought to have been initially a nickname given to someone with light-colored hair, which later became a hereditary surname.

The earliest recorded instances of the Blount surname date back to the 11th century in Normandy, France. One of the first individuals bearing this name was Sir Walter le Blount, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Sir Walter was granted lands in Staffordshire and Lincolnshire.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, several individuals with the surname Blount or variations such as Blunt or Blunt are mentioned. This suggests that the name had already become established in England by the late 11th century.

The Blount family held significant influence and power in England throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. Sir Thomas Blount (c.1349-1400) was a prominent member of the English Parliament and served as the High Sheriff of Derbyshire. His son, Sir Walter Blount (c.1348-1403), was a renowned military commander and fought alongside King Henry IV during the latter's rebellion against Richard II.

Another notable figure was Sir John Blount (c.1512-1567), who served as a member of the Privy Council under King Henry VIII and was instrumental in the dissolution of the monasteries in England. His son, Sir Michael Blount (c.1540-1628), was a prominent courtier and member of Parliament during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.

In the United States, the Blount name has been present since the early colonial era. One of the first recorded instances is that of James Blount (c.1620-1692), who settled in Virginia in the mid-17th century and became a prominent planter and politician, serving as the Speaker of the House of Burgesses.

Other notable individuals with the Blount surname include William Blount (1749-1800), a signer of the United States Constitution and the first Governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio (now Tennessee), and Winnie Blount (1886-1944), an American vaudeville performer and actress.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blount

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Blount.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Blount was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Blount has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Blount was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Blount, please contact us.

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