Explore the Family Name Blay
The meaning of Blay
1. English (of Norman origin): from Old French bloi ‘blond’, or a habitational name from a placename, perhaps by metanalysis from Blois in Loir-et-Cher, France. 2. English: perhaps a nickname from Middle English blæth ‘bare, destitute, wretched’. 3. Catalan: variant of Blasi. This surname is also found in southern France (Pyrénées-Orientales). 4. French: habitational name from a place so named in Calvados. 5. Americanized form of French Blais.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Blay in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Blay saw a slight increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Blay was ranked as the 21,848th most popular surname in the U.S., but by 2010, it had risen to become the 21,320th most popular. The number of individuals with this surname also grew during this period, increasing from 1,109 in 2000 to 1,229 in 2010, representing a change of approximately 10.82 percent. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 people in the U.S increased from 0.41 in 2000 to 0.42 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,848 | #21,320 | 2.42% |
| Count | 1,109 | 1,229 | 10.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.41 | 0.42 | 2.44% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Blay
The Decennial U.S. Census data provides insights into the ethnicity of individuals bearing the surname Blay. It should be noted that in 2000, no individuals identified themselves as being of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity, however, this changed to 3.91 percent in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of those identifying as Black rose from 11.72 percent in 2000 to 17.33 percent in 2010. Those who identified as having two or more ethnicities decreased from 2.16 percent in 2000 to 1.22 percent in 2010. The percentage of White individuals dropped slightly from 78.45 percent in 2000 to 69.89 percent in 2010. The Hispanic population saw an increase from 5.14 percent in 2000 to 7 percent in 2010. Finally, in 2010, 0.65 percent of individuals with the Blay surname identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native, a group that had previously been unrepresented in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.45% | 69.89% | -10.91% |
| Black | 11.72% | 17.33% | 47.87% |
| Hispanic | 5.14% | 7% | 36.19% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 3.91% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 2.16% | 1.22% | -43.52% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.65% | 0% |