2000
#8,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,479
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Blow
An occupational surname referring to a person who operated a bellows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,534 Americans carry the last name Blow. That puts it at #8,039 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blow 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 Blow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,596
Census rank
#8,039
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,954 bearers of the surname Blow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8039th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blow, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blow
The surname "BLOW" is of English origin and is believed to have emerged in the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from an Old English word "blæc," meaning "black" or "swarthy." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive surname, referring to someone with a dark complexion or perhaps someone who worked with soot or charcoal.
In medieval England, surnames were often derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or locations. The earliest recorded instance of the surname "BLOW" can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where it appears as "Blowe."
Another possible origin of the name could be linked to the Old English word "blāwan," meaning "to blow" or "to puff." This could indicate that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a bellows operator or a glassblower.
The surname "BLOW" has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was John Blow (1649-1708), an English composer and organist who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal under James II and William III.
Another prominent figure was Richard Blow (1708-1784), an English engraver and cartographer known for his intricate maps and charts of various regions, including the West Indies and North America.
In the 19th century, Detmar Jennings Blow (1867-1939) was a British architect and designer who played a significant role in the Arts and Crafts movement. He is renowned for his work on several notable buildings, such as the Savile Club in London.
The name "BLOW" has also been associated with literary figures, such as Susan Blow (1843-1916), an American educator and pioneer of the kindergarten movement in the United States. She played a crucial role in establishing the first public kindergarten in St. Louis, Missouri.
More recently, Isabella Blow (1958-2007) was a British fashion editor and stylist known for her eccentric style and her role in discovering and mentoring designers like Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy.
While the surname "BLOW" may have originated as a descriptive term or an occupational reference, it has since become a well-established surname with bearers from various backgrounds and professions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blow
Among Census respondents with the surname Blow, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blow 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 Blow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 2,202
- Black or African American34.7% · 1,372
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 159
- Two or more races3.9% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blow
Blow 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
#9,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,590
+111 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 404 places
2020
#8,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,954
+364 bearers (+10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 1,061 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,696 | 3,479 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,100 | 3,590 | 1.22 | +111 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 404 places |
| 2020 | #8,039 | 3,954 | 1.32 | +364 bearers (+10.1%) | Up 1,061 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 Blow 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 | #9,100 | #8,039 | 11.7% |
| Count | 3,590 | 3,954 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.32 | 8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blow bearers went from 3,590 to 3,954 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,061 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,100 to #8,039.
FAQ
Blow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blow?
Name Census estimates that about 4,534 living Americans carry the surname Blow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,596 residents.
How common is Blow?
Blow ranks #8,039 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,954 people with the surname Blow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,534), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Blow.
Has Blow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blow went from 3,590 recorded bearers to 3,954. That is an increase of 364 (+10.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,100 to #8,039.
What does the Census say about the background of Blow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blow, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Blow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (2,202 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Black (34.7%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Blow (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 Blow mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who operated a bellows. 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 Blow (1.32 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 Americans have the surname Blow?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.