Explore the Family Name Bligh

The meaning of Bligh

1. English (of Norman origin): variant of Blythe, with Anglo-Norman loss of th. 2. Irish and Manx: Anglicized form of Ó Blighe ‘descendant of Blighe’, probably a Gaelicized form of the Old Norse byname Blígr (from blígja ‘to gaze’). 3. Cornish: nickname from Cornish blyth ‘wolf’. Compare Blethen.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Bligh' decreased slightly between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 32,302nd most common surname, but by 2010, it dropped to the 34,427th spot, marking a change of -6.58%. The count also reduced from 672 in 2000 to 658 in 2010, indicating a -2.08% decline. Moreover, the proportion per 100k people declined by 12.0%, going from 0.25 in 2000 to 0.22 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#32,302	#34,427	-6.58%
Count	672	658	-2.08%
Proportion per 100k	0.25	0.22	-12%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bligh

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data showed a small shift among people with the surname 'Bligh'. In 2000, 96.28% identified as white, which dropped slightly to 95.59% in 2010. Those identifying as Black decreased from 1.64% to 1.06%, marking a -35.37% change. The Hispanic representation, although starting from 0 in 2000, saw an increase to 1.82% by 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander went from 0.74% in 2000 to none in 2010. There was no change for American Indian and Alaskan Native, remaining at 0% for both years. However, there appeared a new ethnic identity in 2010, with 0.91% of individuals identifying as two or more races.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.28%	95.59%	-0.72%
Hispanic	0%	1.82%	0%
Black	1.64%	1.06%	-35.37%
Two or More Races	0%	0.91%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.74%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%