2000
#59,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Blache
A French surname derived from the adjective "blache" meaning pale or light-skinned.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 401 Americans carry the last name Blache. That puts it at #61,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 854,749 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blache 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
401
1 in 854,749
Census rank
#61,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
350
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 350 bearers of the surname Blache in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blache, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Hispanic (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blache
The surname Blache has its origins in France, specifically in the southern region of Provence. It is believed to have originated in the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "blache," which means "white" or "pale," likely referring to someone with fair skin or light hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blache can be found in a document from the year 1386, which mentions a person named Pierre Blache residing in the town of Aix-en-Provence. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Blache was Jean Blache (c. 1435-1501), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the Provençal town of Arles. He was involved in various business ventures, including the trade of textiles and spices, and his family played a significant role in the local community.
Moving into the 16th century, the name Blache appears in several historical records from the region of Provence. One such record, dated 1567, mentions a certain Antoine Blache, who was a prominent winemaker in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The 17th century saw the birth of a renowned military officer named François de Blache (1620-1698). He served in the French army during the reign of King Louis XIV and was known for his valor and strategic skills on the battlefield.
In the 18th century, the name Blache was associated with a notable family of intellectuals and scholars. Jacques-François Blache (1745-1812) was a celebrated philosopher and writer from Marseille, known for his works on ethics and political theory.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Blache spread beyond its Provençal origins and could be found in various other regions of France. However, its strongest ties remain with the southern region of Provence, where it has a long and rich history dating back to the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blache
Among Census respondents with the surname Blache, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Hispanic (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Blache 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 Blache surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.7% · 188
- Black or African American28.3% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 30
- Two or more races8.0% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blache
Blache 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
#59,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 343
+27 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 752 places
2020
#61,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 350
+7 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 2,873 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,769 | 316 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,017 | 343 | 0.12 | +27 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 752 places |
| 2020 | #61,890 | 350 | 0.12 | +7 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 2,873 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 Blache 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 | #59,017 | #61,890 | -4.9% |
| Count | 343 | 350 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blache bearers went from 343 to 350 (+2.0% change). The surname moved down 2,873 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,017 to #61,890.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blache
FAQ
Blache surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blache?
Name Census estimates that about 401 living Americans carry the surname Blache. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 854,749 residents.
How common is Blache?
Blache ranks #61,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 350 people with the surname Blache. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Blache.
Has Blache become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blache went from 343 recorded bearers to 350. That is an increase of 7 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,017 to #61,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Blache?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blache, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.3%) and Hispanic (8.6%). 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 Blache in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.7% (188 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blache appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.7%), Black (28.3%), Hispanic (8.6%). 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 Blache (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 Blache mean?
A French surname derived from the adjective "blache" meaning pale or light-skinned. 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 Blache (0.12 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 are called Blache?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Blache on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.