2000
#4,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.90
Rare Last name
Blythe
A surname of English origin referring to a person with a happy, cheerful, or pleasant demeanor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,794 Americans carry the last name Blythe. That puts it at #4,490 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,976 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blythe 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Blythe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,976
Census rank
#4,490
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,669 bearers of the surname Blythe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4490th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blythe, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blythe
Among Census respondents with the surname Blythe, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Blythe 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 Blythe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 6,274
- Black or African American8.6% · 660
- Two or more races4.8% · 365
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 261
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blythe
Blythe 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
#4,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,947
+120 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#4,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,669
-278 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,200 | 7,827 | 2.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,470 | 7,947 | 2.69 | +120 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #4,490 | 7,669 | 2.57 | -278 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 20 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 Blythe 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 | #4,470 | #4,490 | -0.4% |
| Count | 7,947 | 7,669 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.69 | 2.57 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blythe bearers went from 7,947 to 7,669 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,470 to #4,490.
FAQ
Blythe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blythe?
Name Census estimates that about 8,794 living Americans carry the surname Blythe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,976 residents.
How common is Blythe?
Blythe ranks #4,490 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,669 people with the surname Blythe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,794), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Blythe.
Has Blythe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blythe went from 7,947 recorded bearers to 7,669. That is a decrease of 278 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,470 to #4,490.
What does the Census say about the background of Blythe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blythe, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Blythe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (6,274 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blythe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Blythe (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 Blythe mean?
A surname of English origin referring to a person with a happy, cheerful, or pleasant demeanor. 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 Blythe (2.57 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 share the surname Blythe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.