2000
#7,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,911
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Blakeney
From the bleak, open land or heath, likely referring to a person who lived near such a place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,452 Americans carry the last name Blakeney. That puts it at #8,164 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,989 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blakeney 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 Blakeney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,989
Census rank
#8,164
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,882 bearers of the surname Blakeney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8164th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blakeney
The surname Blakeney has its origins in England, specifically in the county of Norfolk. It is derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning black and "ey" meaning island or watery meadow, suggesting that the name originated from a geographical location with a dark or black island or meadow.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Blakeney dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Blakeneye". This entry refers to a village in Norfolk, which is now known as Blakeney. The name has also been recorded in various other spellings throughout history, such as Blackney, Blackeney, and Blakney.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Blakeney was Sir Edward Blakeney (c. 1590-1671), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Norfolk. In the 17th century, another notable figure was Henry Blakeney (1638-1696), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Hartsmere.
In the 18th century, William Blakeney (1672-1761) was a prominent British Army officer who served in several campaigns, including the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession. He was also appointed as the Governor of Minorca.
The 19th century saw the rise of General Sir Edward Blakeney (1778-1868), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became the Governor of Chelsea Hospital. Another notable figure from this period was Robert Blakeney (1795-1868), an Irish-born Australian explorer and landowner.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Blakeney was Vivian Blakeney-Williams (1898-1955), a British Army officer and intelligence officer who served in both World War I and World War II. He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery during World War I.
While the surname Blakeney has its roots in England, particularly in Norfolk, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Australia, Canada, and the United States, through migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blakeney
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Blakeney 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 Blakeney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.6% · 2,042
- Black or African American39.6% · 1,539
- Two or more races4.2% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blakeney
Blakeney 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
#8,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,107
+196 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 219 places
2020
#8,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,882
-225 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,851 | 3,911 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,070 | 4,107 | 1.39 | +196 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 219 places |
| 2020 | #8,164 | 3,882 | 1.30 | -225 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 94 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 Blakeney 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 | #8,070 | #8,164 | -1.2% |
| Count | 4,107 | 3,882 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.30 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blakeney bearers went from 4,107 to 3,882 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,070 to #8,164.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blakeney
FAQ
Blakeney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blakeney?
Name Census estimates that about 4,452 living Americans carry the surname Blakeney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,989 residents.
How common is Blakeney?
Blakeney ranks #8,164 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,882 people with the surname Blakeney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,452), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Blakeney.
Has Blakeney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blakeney went from 4,107 recorded bearers to 3,882. That is a decrease of 225 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,070 to #8,164.
What does the Census say about the background of Blakeney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blakeney, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.6%. The next largest groups are Black (39.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Blakeney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (2,042 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blakeney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.6%), Black (39.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Blakeney (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 Blakeney mean?
From the bleak, open land or heath, likely referring to a person who lived near such a place. 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 Blakeney (1.30 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 last name Blakeney?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Blakeney, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.