2000
#5,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,746
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.13
Rare Last name
Blume
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a flower grower, gardener, or one who lived near flowers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,249 Americans carry the last name Blume. That puts it at #6,056 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,849 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blume 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
6.2K
1 in 54,849
Census rank
#6,056
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,449 bearers of the surname Blume in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6056th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blume, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blume
The surname BLUME has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "Blume," which translates to "flower" or "blossom." This likely indicates that the name was initially given as a descriptive term to someone who lived near a field of flowers or worked with flowers.
One of the earliest documented references to the surname BLUME can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, where a merchant named Heinrich BLUME was mentioned in 1287. Another early record comes from the town of Erfurt, where a man named Konrad BLUME was listed in a tax register in 1312.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including BLUMEN, BLUMME, and BLUMMEN, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. These variations were common in the pre-standardized era of language and record-keeping.
As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, it became associated with various place names that incorporated the word "Blume." For instance, the village of Blumenberg in Bavaria was likely named for its location near a flowering meadow or spring, and inhabitants of this area may have adopted BLUME as their surname.
One notable bearer of the BLUME surname was Johann Friedrich BLUME, a German-born botanist who lived from 1759 to 1840. He made significant contributions to the study of flora in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and is credited with discovering and naming numerous plant species.
Another prominent individual was Carl Ludwig BLUME, a German-American naturalist and explorer who was born in 1796 and died in 1862. He is best known for his expeditions to the American West and his work in documenting the natural history of the region.
In the 16th century, the BLUME surname can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans BLUME was mentioned in a trade document from 1534. Additionally, a farmer named Georg BLUME was listed in the land records of the village of Hirschau in 1562.
As the surname spread throughout Germany and into neighboring regions, it was adopted by families from various backgrounds, including farmers, artisans, and tradespeople. Over time, the name became associated with different professions and social classes, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blume
Among Census respondents with the surname Blume, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Blume 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 Blume surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 4,899
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 204
- Two or more races2.7% · 145
- Black or African American2.3% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blume
Blume 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
#5,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,826
+80 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 362 places
2020
#6,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,449
-377 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,552 | 5,746 | 2.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,914 | 5,826 | 1.98 | +80 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 362 places |
| 2020 | #6,056 | 5,449 | 1.82 | -377 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 142 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 Blume 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 | #5,914 | #6,056 | -2.4% |
| Count | 5,826 | 5,449 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 1.82 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blume bearers went from 5,826 to 5,449 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,914 to #6,056.
FAQ
Blume surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blume?
Name Census estimates that about 6,249 living Americans carry the surname Blume. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,849 residents.
How common is Blume?
Blume ranks #6,056 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,449 people with the surname Blume. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,249), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Blume.
Has Blume become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blume went from 5,826 recorded bearers to 5,449. That is a decrease of 377 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,914 to #6,056.
What does the Census say about the background of Blume?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blume, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Blume in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (4,899 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blume appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Blume (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 Blume mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a flower grower, gardener, or one who lived near flowers. 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 Blume (1.82 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 common is the surname Blume?
You can see how many people are called Blume on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.