2000
#2,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,234
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.16
Uncommon Last name
Blalock
A British locational surname derived from a place meaning "dark lake" or "black lock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,201 Americans carry the last name Blalock. That puts it at #3,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,092 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blalock 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
12K
1 in 28,092
Census rank
#3,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,640 bearers of the surname Blalock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blalock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blalock
The surname Blalock is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "blæc" meaning "black" and "loca" meaning "lock" or "enclosure," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person living near a dark-colored stream or enclosure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blalock can be found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1673, which lists a John Blalock residing in Worcestershire, England. The name also appears in various parish records and legal documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Blaloke, Blayloke, and Blayloch.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the Blalock surname was John Blalock (1754-1824), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he became a prominent landowner and community leader.
Another historical figure associated with the Blalock name was William Blalock (1819-1898), an American politician and soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War and later served as a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War. He was born in Tennessee and later became a successful businessman and farmer.
In the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the Blalock surname was Alfred Blalock (1899-1964), an American surgeon renowned for his groundbreaking work in cardiac surgery. He is credited with developing the Blalock-Taussig shunt, a pioneering surgical procedure that greatly improved the treatment of "blue baby syndrome," a congenital heart defect.
Another notable Blalock was Doris Blalock (1912-1993), an American educator and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the desegregation of schools in Arkansas during the 1950s. She worked tirelessly to promote equality and educational opportunities for all students, regardless of race.
While the Blalock surname is predominantly found in the United States and Canada, it also has a presence in other parts of the world, including Australia and New Zealand, where some individuals of English descent have carried on the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blalock
Among Census respondents with the surname Blalock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Blalock 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 Blalock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 8,377
- Black or African American12.6% · 1,340
- Two or more races3.7% · 394
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 346
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blalock
Blalock 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
#3,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,493
+259 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.90
Rank movement Down 203 places
2020
#3,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,640
-853 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.56
Rank movement Down 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,942 | 11,234 | 4.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,145 | 11,493 | 3.90 | +259 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 203 places |
| 2020 | #3,320 | 10,640 | 3.56 | -853 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 175 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 Blalock 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 | #3,145 | #3,320 | -5.6% |
| Count | 11,493 | 10,640 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.90 | 3.56 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blalock bearers went from 11,493 to 10,640 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,145 to #3,320.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blalock
FAQ
Blalock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blalock?
Name Census estimates that about 12,201 living Americans carry the surname Blalock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,092 residents.
How common is Blalock?
Blalock ranks #3,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,640 people with the surname Blalock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Blalock.
Has Blalock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blalock went from 11,493 recorded bearers to 10,640. That is a decrease of 853 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,145 to #3,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Blalock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blalock, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Blalock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (8,377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blalock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (12.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Blalock (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 Blalock mean?
A British locational surname derived from a place meaning "dark lake" or "black lock." 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 Blalock (3.56 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 Americans have the surname Blalock?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.