2000
#1,738
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,882
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.00
Uncommon Last name
Blount
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "blunt" or "dull," likely referring to a flat-topped hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,807 Americans carry the last name Blount. That puts it at #1,853 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blount 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 Blount with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,718
Census rank
#1,853
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,017 bearers of the surname Blount in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1853rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blount, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blount
Among Census respondents with the surname Blount, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blount 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 Blount surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.5% · 8,653
- Black or African American45.4% · 8,630
- Two or more races5.0% · 949
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 601
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 86
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blount
Blount 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
#1,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,878
+996 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 6.74
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#1,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,017
-861 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.36
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,738 | 18,882 | 7.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,803 | 19,878 | 6.74 | +996 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,853 | 19,017 | 6.36 | -861 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 50 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 Blount 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 | #1,803 | #1,853 | -2.8% |
| Count | 19,878 | 19,017 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.74 | 6.36 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blount bearers went from 19,878 to 19,017 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,803 to #1,853.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blount
FAQ
Blount surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blount?
Name Census estimates that about 21,807 living Americans carry the surname Blount. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,718 residents.
How common is Blount?
Blount ranks #1,853 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,017 people with the surname Blount. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,807), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Blount.
Has Blount become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blount went from 19,878 recorded bearers to 19,017. That is a decrease of 861 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,803 to #1,853.
What does the Census say about the background of Blount?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blount, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Blount in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.5% (8,653 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blount appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.5%), Black (45.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Blount (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 Blount mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "blunt" or "dull," likely referring to a flat-topped hill. 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 Blount (6.36 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 Blount?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.