2000
#11,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,652
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Bluhm
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) ornamental surname derived from the German word "Blume," meaning flower or blossom.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,985 Americans carry the last name Bluhm. That puts it at #11,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bluhm 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,826
Census rank
#11,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,603 bearers of the surname Bluhm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bluhm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bluhm
The surname Bluhm is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late Middle Ages. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony, where it was derived from the German word "Blume," meaning "flower." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been associated with the cultivation or trade of flowers.
In the 15th century, the name Bluhm appeared in various historical records, such as the chronicles of the city of Leipzig. One notable mention was in 1472, when a merchant named Hans Bluhm was recorded as a member of the local guild of traders.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, including Blum, Bluehm, and Bluehme. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who transcribed the name.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Bluhm can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon (German Family Names Lexicon), which documents a certain Heinrich Bluhm living in the town of Mecklenburg in the year 1307.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Bluhm (1500-1565), a renowned German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. His writings and teachings had a lasting impact on the religious landscape of Germany.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Bluhm (1788-1864), a German composer and music theorist. He is best known for his contributions to the development of music theory and his compositions for the piano and other instruments.
The 19th century saw the rise of Karl Bluhm (1825-1891), a celebrated German painter and illustrator. His works, which often depicted scenes from everyday life, were highly regarded and can be found in several prestigious art collections.
In the realm of literature, the name Bluhm is associated with Ernst Bluhm (1853-1920), a German writer and poet. His works, which explored themes of nature and romanticism, were widely read and acclaimed during his lifetime.
The name Bluhm also gained recognition in the field of science with the birth of Gerhard Bluhm (1879-1963), a German physicist and inventor. He made significant contributions to the development of X-ray technology and held numerous patents for his inventions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bluhm
Among Census respondents with the surname Bluhm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bluhm 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 Bluhm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,398
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 91
- Two or more races3.0% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bluhm
Bluhm 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
#11,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,630
-22 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 904 places
2020
#11,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,603
-27 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,000 | 2,652 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,904 | 2,630 | 0.89 | -22 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 904 places |
| 2020 | #11,553 | 2,603 | 0.87 | -27 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 351 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 Bluhm 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 | #11,904 | #11,553 | 2.9% |
| Count | 2,630 | 2,603 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.87 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bluhm bearers went from 2,630 to 2,603 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 351 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,904 to #11,553.
FAQ
Bluhm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bluhm?
Name Census estimates that about 2,985 living Americans carry the surname Bluhm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,826 residents.
How common is Bluhm?
Bluhm ranks #11,553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,603 people with the surname Bluhm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Bluhm.
Has Bluhm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bluhm went from 2,630 recorded bearers to 2,603. That is a decrease of 27 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,904 to #11,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Bluhm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bluhm, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Bluhm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,398 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bluhm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Bluhm (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 Bluhm mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) ornamental surname derived from the German word "Blume," meaning flower or blossom. 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 Bluhm (0.87 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 Bluhm?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.