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

Blue, 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 Blue surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blue in America

Blue is the 1466th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blue surname appeared 24,341 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Blue.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blue 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 Blue

The surname BLUE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "blæwen" or "blæu," meaning "dark-colored" or "blue-colored." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone with blue eyes, dark hair, or who wore blue clothing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BLUE can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a person named Roger le Blew is mentioned. The use of the prefix "le" before the name indicates its early adoption as a hereditary surname.

In the 14th century, the surname BLUE appeared in various spelling variations, such as Blew, Blewe, and Bleu, reflecting the diversity of regional dialects and scribal interpretations. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John le Bleu from Gloucestershire, and the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 include a Thomas Blew from Yorkshire.

In the 15th century, the name BLUE gained prominence in several historical records. The Patent Rolls of 1403 mention a John Blew, a merchant from London, and the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire in 1443 reference a William Blew.

Notable individuals with the surname BLUE throughout history include:

1. Nicholas Blue (c. 1500-1580), an English Catholic priest and martyr executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Ralph Blue (1672-1716), an English playwright and author best known for his work "The Luck of a Batchelor."
3. Sarah Blue (1801-1864), an American pioneer and one of the first settlers in what is now Tulsa, Oklahoma.
4. Victor Blue (1865-1928), a French artist known for his Impressionist paintings of Parisian scenes.
5. Rupert Blue (1915-1997), a British military officer who served in World War II and later became a distinguished author and historian.

The surname BLUE has also been associated with various place names, such as Blue Anchor in Somerset, England, and Blue Bell Hill in Kent, England. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname BLUE who resided or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blue

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

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 Blue 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 Blue 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 Blue was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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