2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bloy
A Breton surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Bloué.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Bloy. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bloy 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 Bloy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Bloy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bloy
The surname BLOY has its origins in France, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "bloi," which means "light-colored" or "fair-haired." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for someone with fair hair or a light complexion.
The earliest recorded example of the surname BLOY can be found in the Cartulaire de Chartres, a manuscript from the 12th century that contains records of land transactions and other legal documents from the region of Chartres, France. In this document, a certain "Robertus Bloi" is mentioned as a witness to a land transfer.
Over the centuries, the surname BLOY has undergone various spelling variations, such as Blois, Bloye, and Bloie. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the scribes who recorded the name in different documents.
One notable historical reference to the surname BLOY is found in the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name "Bloi" appears as a landholder in the county of Buckinghamshire, indicating that the name had spread from France to England by the 11th century.
Some famous individuals who have borne the surname BLOY include:
1. Léon Bloy (1846-1917), a French novelist, essayist, and polemicist known for his fervent Catholic faith and controversial writings.
2. Pierre Bloy (1714-1790), a French engraver and illustrator who produced numerous works for books and publications during the 18th century.
3. Henri Bloy (1856-1924), a French sculptor and medallist who created public monuments and medal designs for various events and occasions.
4. Jean-Baptiste Bloy (1760-1835), a French architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
5. Marguerite Bloy (1850-1929), a French painter and printmaker known for her landscape and genre scenes, as well as her etchings and lithographs.
While the surname BLOY has its roots in France, it has since spread to other countries and regions, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bloy
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bloy 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 Bloy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Black or African American3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bloy
Bloy 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,695 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 15,695 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Up 5,775 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 Bloy 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 | #151,532 | #145,757 | 3.8% |
| Count | 108 | 115 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bloy bearers went from 108 to 115 (+6.5% change). The surname moved up 5,775 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #145,757.
FAQ
Bloy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bloy?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Bloy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Bloy?
Bloy ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Bloy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bloy.
Has Bloy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bloy went from 108 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 7 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Bloy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bloy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Bloy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bloy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Black (3.5%). 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 Bloy (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 Bloy mean?
A Breton surname derived from a place name referring to someone from Bloué. 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 Bloy (0.04 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 surname Bloy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.