Explore the Family Name Blea

The meaning of Blea

1. English (Midlands): probably a variant of Bligh. This surname is rare in Britain. Compare Blee. 2. Hispanic: probably an altered form of Galician Brea. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Carlos, Jose, Julio, Adolfo, Adolpho, Amado, Armando, Benito, Claudio, Concha, Enrique.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Blea in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Blea saw an increase in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Blea ranked 15,942nd in terms of popularity among surnames, but by 2010 it had climbed to 15,284th, a change of 4.13 percent. The count of individuals bearing the Blea surname also increased from 1,674 in 2000 to 1,921 in 2010. This represents a significant growth of 14.76 percent over the decade. The proportion per 100,000 people is also on the rise, witnessing a 4.84 percent increase from 0.62 in 2000 to 0.65 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,942	#15,284	4.13%
Count	1,674	1,921	14.76%
Proportion per 100k	0.62	0.65	4.84%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Blea

When looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Blea, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some shifts from 2000 to 2010. The largest group, those identifying as Hispanic, decreased slightly from 76.94 percent in 2000 to 73.19 percent in 2010. Individuals identifying as white showed an increase from 19.83 percent to 23.48 percent. Small percentages identified themselves as American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.90% to 1.25%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.00% to 0.52%), and two or more races (1.31% to 1.09%). Those identifying as Black saw a decrease from 1.02 percent to 0.47 percent.

	2000	2010	Change
Hispanic	76.94%	73.19%	-4.87%
White	19.83%	23.48%	18.41%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.9%	1.25%	38.89%
Two or More Races	1.31%	1.09%	-16.79%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.52%	0%
Black	1.02%	0.47%	-53.92%