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

Blythe, 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 Blythe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Blythe in America

Blythe is the 4470th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Blythe surname appeared 7,947 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Blythe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Blythe 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 Blythe

The surname Blythe originated in England and is derived from the Old English word "blyth" meaning "blissful" or "joyful." It was initially a descriptive surname given to someone with a cheerful or happy demeanor.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early recordings including Richard le Blithe in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273 and John Blythe mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301.

Blythe was also used as a place name, referring to locations with pleasant or joyful surroundings. One such example is the village of Blyth in Northumberland, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Blida."

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Blythe, Blithe, and Blith, reflecting the changes in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Blythe throughout history include:

1. Samuel Blythe (1753-1835), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Tennessee.
2. Geoffrey Blythe (c. 1280-1348), an English clergyman and author who wrote the "Venerable Life of Christ."
3. James Blythe (1765-1842), a Scottish-born American merchant and politician who served as the 24th Governor of South Carolina.
4. Benjamin Blythe (1819-1905), an English cricketer who played for Surrey and represented the English national team.
5. Samuel Blythe (1868-1939), an American author and journalist known for his works "The Jackpot" and "The Widow's Might."

While the name Blythe continues to be used today, its historical roots can be traced back to its Old English origins, reflecting the joyful and pleasant connotations associated with this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Blythe

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

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

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

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