2000
#15,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,714
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Blystone
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the Old English elements "bly" (bright or shining) and "stone" (rock or stone).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,004 Americans carry the last name Blystone. That puts it at #16,031 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 171,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blystone 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
2.0K
1 in 171,035
Census rank
#16,031
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,748 bearers of the surname Blystone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16031st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blystone, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blystone
The surname BLYSTONE originated from England in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "bly" meaning cheerful or joyful, and "stan" meaning stone. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stone structure or quarry with a cheerful or bright appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BLYSTONE can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Thomas Blystone is listed. This suggests the name was present in the West Midlands region of England during the 14th century.
In the 16th century, variations of the spelling such as Bliston, Blistone, and Blystan can be found in parish records across various counties in England, including Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire. This indicates the name had spread across the surrounding areas by this time.
A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Blystone, a member of the English gentry who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 16th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the period, including land records and court proceedings.
The surname BLYSTONE is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the name is recorded under a slightly different spelling, such as "Bliston" or "Blistone," as standardized spellings were not yet common.
Other notable individuals with the surname BLYSTONE include:
1. William Blystone (1545-1622), a merchant and landowner from Oxfordshire who was involved in the wool trade.
2. Elizabeth Blystone (1675-1748), a prominent Quaker from Gloucestershire who wrote several religious tracts.
3. Samuel Blystone (1710-1781), an English soldier who served in the British Army during the Seven Years' War.
4. James Blystone (1830-1904), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London during the Victorian era.
5. Margaret Blystone (1892-1972), a British novelist and playwright whose works were popular in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blystone
Among Census respondents with the surname Blystone, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Blystone 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 Blystone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,626
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 53
- Two or more races2.9% · 51
- Black or African American0.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blystone
Blystone 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
#16,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,760
+46 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 710 places
2020
#16,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,748
-12 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.58
Rank movement Up 331 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,652 | 1,714 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,362 | 1,760 | 0.60 | +46 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 710 places |
| 2020 | #16,031 | 1,748 | 0.58 | -12 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 331 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 Blystone 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 | #16,362 | #16,031 | 2.0% |
| Count | 1,760 | 1,748 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.58 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blystone bearers went from 1,760 to 1,748 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 331 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,362 to #16,031.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blystone
FAQ
Blystone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blystone?
Name Census estimates that about 2,004 living Americans carry the surname Blystone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 171,035 residents.
How common is Blystone?
Blystone ranks #16,031 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.58 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 1,748 people with the surname Blystone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,004), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.58 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 Blystone.
Has Blystone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blystone went from 1,760 recorded bearers to 1,748. That is a decrease of 12 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,362 to #16,031.
What does the Census say about the background of Blystone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blystone, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Blystone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,626 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blystone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Blystone (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 Blystone mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the Old English elements "bly" (bright or shining) and "stone" (rock or stone). 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 Blystone (0.58 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 Blystone?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.