2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Oblon
A Gaelic Irish surname derived from the personal name Obhlon, meaning "poor" or "destitute".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Oblon. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oblon 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Oblon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oblon, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oblon
The surname OBLON has its origins tracing back to the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "oblion," which means "a type of small roll or loaf of bread." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been bakers or individuals involved in the production or sale of this particular bread item.
The name OBLON is believed to have first appeared in historical records in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England conducted by order of King William the Conqueror. The name was likely brought to England by Norman settlers who accompanied William during the conquest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OBLON can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a certain Robert Oblon is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already established itself in certain regions of England by the late 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name OBLON appears to have been concentrated primarily in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. This may indicate that the original bearers of the name settled in these areas after the Norman conquest.
In the 14th century, a notable individual with the surname OBLON was Sir John Oblon, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War with France. Records indicate that Sir John Oblon was born in 1310 in the village of Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, and died in battle at the age of 45 in 1355.
Another historically significant figure with the surname OBLON was William Oblon, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century. William Oblon was born in 1520 in the town of Abingdon, Berkshire, and became a successful trader in the wool and cloth industry. He served as an alderman in the City of London from 1570 until his death in 1589.
In the 17th century, the name OBLON appears in the parish records of various villages in Gloucestershire, such as Painswick and Stroud. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Oblon, a yeoman farmer who lived in the village of Painswick from 1625 to 1698.
During the 18th century, the OBLON surname can be found in various records related to the city of Bristol, which was a major port and commercial center at the time. One notable figure from this era was Richard Oblon, a successful merchant and ship owner who was born in Bristol in 1735 and died in 1801.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oblon
Among Census respondents with the surname Oblon, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Oblon 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 Oblon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 99
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oblon
Oblon appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Oblon 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 | #160,975 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oblon bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Oblon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oblon?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Oblon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Oblon?
Oblon ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Oblon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oblon.
Has Oblon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oblon went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Oblon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oblon, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Oblon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oblon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Black (1.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Oblon (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 Oblon mean?
A Gaelic Irish surname derived from the personal name Obhlon, meaning "poor" or "destitute". 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 Oblon (0.03 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 Oblon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.