Explore the Family Name Bloch
The meaning of Bloch
1. Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name for someone in Eastern Europe originating from Italy, from Polish włoch, meaning ‘Italian’ (originally ‘foreigner’; see Vlach). 2. German and Swedish: variant of Block. 3. Danish: from blok ‘block (of wood)’, hence a nickname for a large lumpish person, or from German Block (compare 2 above). History: The Jewish surname Bloch is one of the old Ashkenazic surnames. In Eastern Europe, it was used by rabbinical families well before the mass adoption of surnames by local Jews at the turn of the 19th century. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Hans, Heinz, Otto, Konrad, Manfred, Angelika, Arno, Beate, Bernhard, Ewald, Fritz. Jewish Aron, Baruch, Ephraim, Meir, Moshe, Chana, Eyal, Igal, Mendy, Meyer, Mort.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bloch in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Bloch saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010, with its rank falling by 0.8 percent from 6,910 to 6,965. Despite this shift in rank, the actual count of people bearing this surname increased by 7.57 percent during the same time period, rising from 4,478 to 4,817. The proportion of people with the last name Bloch per 100,000 also slightly decreased by 1.81 percent, indicating that while the number of people with the surname has grown, it has not kept pace with overall population growth.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,910 | #6,965 | -0.8% |
| Count | 4,478 | 4,817 | 7.57% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.66 | 1.63 | -1.81% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bloch
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Bloch primarily remains White, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 95.24 percent of those with the Bloch surname identified as White, decreasing to 93.79 percent in 2010. Representation among other ethnicities also shifted: The Hispanic representation experienced the most significant increase of 49.75 percent (from 2.01 percent to 3.01 percent). There was also a minor increase in individuals identifying with two or more races, growing from 0.89 percent to 0.98 percent, and in the Black community, increasing from 1.34 percent to 1.45 percent. No changes were observed in the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native groups for this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.24% | 93.79% | -1.52% |
| Hispanic | 2.01% | 3.01% | 49.75% |
| Black | 1.34% | 1.45% | 8.21% |
| Two or More Races | 0.89% | 0.98% | 10.11% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Bloch ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Bloch is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 47.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (16.7%) and French & German (15.2%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 47.1% |
| British & Irish | 16.7% |
| French & German | 15.2% |
| Other | 21.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Bloch
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Bloch have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 41.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 41.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 41.20% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 41.20% |
| South Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 40.60% |
What Bloch haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Bloch is Q-Y2197, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup Q-Y2197 is descended from haplogroup Q-M242. Other common haplogroups include J-CTS5368 and Q-M378, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Weinberg, Lieberman, Stein, Perlman, Block, Schwartz, Goldstein, Berman, Adler, Rosenbaum.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bloch surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins Q-M242
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Marsh Arabs
One of the populations associated with haplogroup Q1b1 is the Marsh Arab population in the southern part of Mesopotamia. For thousands of years, this region has been a wetland due to its position between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq. Mesopotamia has had human occupants since shortly after they first migrated from Africa 60,000-80,000 years ago. The current inhabitants of Mesopotamia, the Marsh Arabs, have strong ties to the ancient Sumer, one of the world's first civilizations. Like their ancient forebears, Marsh Arab culture includes architecture based on arched reed buildings, subsistence strategies from grazing water buffalo, trapping birds, and spearing fish to cultivating rice, and the use of skinny boats called "Tarada" for transportation.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Bloch have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Bloch" Surname 50.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Bloch" Surname 21.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bloch" Surname 17.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Bloch" Surname 20.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bloch?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Bloch are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition