2000
#1,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.31
Uncommon Last name
Blue
A descriptive surname likely referring to someone with blue eyes, blue clothing, or a connection to the color blue.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,707 Americans carry the last name Blue. That puts it at #1,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,371 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blue 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 Blue with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,371
Census rank
#1,436
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,162 bearers of the surname Blue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blue, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.8%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blue
The surname BLUE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "blæwen" or "blæu," meaning "dark-colored" or "blue-colored." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive name, likely referring to someone with blue eyes, dark hair, or who wore blue clothing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BLUE can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where a person named Roger le Blew is mentioned. The use of the prefix "le" before the name indicates its early adoption as a hereditary surname.
In the 14th century, the surname BLUE appeared in various spelling variations, such as Blew, Blewe, and Bleu, reflecting the diversity of regional dialects and scribal interpretations. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John le Bleu from Gloucestershire, and the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 include a Thomas Blew from Yorkshire.
In the 15th century, the name BLUE gained prominence in several historical records. The Patent Rolls of 1403 mention a John Blew, a merchant from London, and the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire in 1443 reference a William Blew.
Notable individuals with the surname BLUE throughout history include:
1. Nicholas Blue (c. 1500-1580), an English Catholic priest and martyr executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Ralph Blue (1672-1716), an English playwright and author best known for his work "The Luck of a Batchelor."
3. Sarah Blue (1801-1864), an American pioneer and one of the first settlers in what is now Tulsa, Oklahoma.
4. Victor Blue (1865-1928), a French artist known for his Impressionist paintings of Parisian scenes.
5. Rupert Blue (1915-1997), a British military officer who served in World War II and later became a distinguished author and historian.
The surname BLUE has also been associated with various place names, such as Blue Anchor in Somerset, England, and Blue Bell Hill in Kent, England. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname BLUE who resided or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blue
Among Census respondents with the surname Blue, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.8%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Blue 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 Blue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.8% · 10,574
- Black or African American42.7% · 10,306
- Two or more races5.4% · 1,313
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 943
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.0% · 717
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 309
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blue
Blue 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
#1,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,341
+1,919 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 8.25
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#1,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,162
-179 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 8.08
Rank movement Up 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,461 | 22,422 | 8.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,466 | 24,341 | 8.25 | +1,919 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #1,436 | 24,162 | 8.08 | -179 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 30 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 Blue 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 | #1,466 | #1,436 | 2.0% |
| Count | 24,341 | 24,162 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.25 | 8.08 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blue bearers went from 24,341 to 24,162 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,466 to #1,436.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Blue
FAQ
Blue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blue?
Name Census estimates that about 27,707 living Americans carry the surname Blue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,371 residents.
How common is Blue?
Blue ranks #1,436 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,162 people with the surname Blue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,707), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Blue.
Has Blue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blue went from 24,341 recorded bearers to 24,162. That is a decrease of 179 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,466 to #1,436.
What does the Census say about the background of Blue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blue, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.8%. The next largest groups are Black (42.7%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Blue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.8% (10,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (43.8%), Black (42.7%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Blue (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 Blue mean?
A descriptive surname likely referring to someone with blue eyes, blue clothing, or a connection to the color blue. 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 Blue (8.08 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 Blue?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.