NameCensus.

UK surname

Blee

A place name surname referring to someone from Blee, France.

In the 1881 census there were 174 people recorded with the Blee surname, ranking it #14,042 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 320, ranked #14,096, down from #14,042 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ippollitts, Minster and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire, Cornwall and Barnet.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Blee is 323 in 2006. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 83.9%.

1881 census count

174

Ranked #14,042

Modern count

320

2016, ranked #14,096

Peak year

2006

323 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Blee had 174 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #14,042 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016, ranked #14,096.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 239 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Blee surname distribution map

The map shows where the Blee surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Blee surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Blee over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 176 #11,489
1861 historical 173 #13,553
1881 historical 174 #14,042
1891 historical 167 #17,006
1901 historical 216 #14,426
1911 historical 239 #13,321
1997 modern 293 #13,736
1998 modern 309 #13,612
1999 modern 315 #13,524
2000 modern 316 #13,460
2001 modern 314 #13,318
2002 modern 318 #13,475
2003 modern 307 #13,614
2004 modern 310 #13,589
2005 modern 321 #13,195
2006 modern 323 #13,205
2007 modern 314 #13,618
2008 modern 317 #13,632
2009 modern 301 #14,386
2010 modern 300 #14,730
2011 modern 313 #14,200
2012 modern 323 #13,780
2013 modern 314 #14,273
2014 modern 317 #14,269
2015 modern 319 #14,118
2016 modern 320 #14,096

Geography

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Where Blees are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ippollitts, Minster, London parishes, St Leonard Shoreditch and Rutherglen. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire, Cornwall and Barnet. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ippollitts Hertfordshire
2 Minster Kent
3 London parishes London 1
4 St Leonard Shoreditch London (East Districts)
5 Rutherglen Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 040 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 Cornwall 073 Cornwall
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 041 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Barnet 004 Barnet
5 East Riding of Yorkshire 037 East Riding of Yorkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Blee

These lists show first names that appear often with the Blee surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Blee

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Blee, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Blee surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Blee household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Blee is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Blee is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Blee falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Blee is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Blee, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Blee

The surname BLEE originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, which dates back to the 5th to 11th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "blæc," meaning "pale" or "white." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a particularly light complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the BLEE surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation conducted during the reign of William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Blaec" and "Blæc," indicating the variations that existed in that era.

During the Middle Ages, the BLEE surname was commonly found in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia. Some notable individuals bearing this name include John Blee, a yeoman farmer from Suffolk, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1327, and William Blee, a landowner from Norfolk, whose name appears in the Feet of Fines records from 1428.

In the 16th century, the BLEE surname was also associated with a small village called Blee St. Andrew in Norfolk, which was likely named after an early settler with the same surname. This connection suggests that the BLEE family may have originated in that region and subsequently spread to other parts of England.

Notable figures with the BLEE surname throughout history include Sir John Blee (1593-1661), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk during the reign of Charles I, and Reverend Thomas Blee (1662-1730), an Anglican clergyman and author who published several religious works in the early 18th century.

Another notable figure was Captain William Blee (1745-1813), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He was commended for his bravery and leadership in several naval engagements and rose to the rank of post-captain in the Royal Navy.

In the 19th century, John Blee (1822-1898) was a prominent British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Royal Opera House in Malta. His innovative designs and contributions to the field of architecture earned him widespread recognition and respect.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Blee families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Blee surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Cornwall leads with 74 Blees recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.65x.

County Total Index
Cornwall 74 39.65x
Middlesex 30 1.82x
Hertfordshire 19 16.72x
Devon 10 2.91x
Yorkshire 9 0.55x
Kent 7 1.24x
Nottinghamshire 7 3.15x
Bedfordshire 4 4.69x
Glamorgan 2 0.70x
Lanarkshire 2 0.38x
Surrey 2 0.25x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.96x
Dorset 1 0.92x
Essex 1 0.31x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sithney in Cornwall leads with 12 Blees recorded in 1881 and an index of 634.92x.

Place Total Index
Sithney 12 634.92x
Budock 11 785.71x
St Ippollitts 11 1929.82x
Lund 9 3461.54x
Breage 8 470.59x
Mawnan 8 2758.62x
Basford 7 68.36x
Shoreditch London 7 9.80x
St Columb Minor 7 445.86x
Helston 6 309.28x
Minster In Sheppey 6 64.38x
Camborne 5 65.02x
Highweek 5 409.84x
Arlesey 4 370.37x
Bow London 4 19.06x
Clerkenwell London 3 7.71x
Falmouth 3 45.39x
Hanwell 3 102.74x
Hemel Hempstead 3 58.59x
Kensington London 3 3.27x
Paddington London 3 4.95x
Plymouth Charles The 3 19.84x
Cardiff St John 2 21.32x
Graveley 2 952.38x
Hammersmith London 2 4.92x
Little Wymondley 2 869.57x
Madron Penzance 2 29.46x
Rutherglen 2 25.58x
St Austell 2 31.35x
St Martins 2 1000.00x
Tottenham 2 7.62x
Truro St Mary 2 127.39x
Baldock 1 93.46x
Bridport 1 44.84x
Chelsea London 1 2.01x
Crowan 1 67.57x
Cury 1 416.67x
Dawlish 1 39.06x
Ewell 1 58.82x
Hackney London 1 1.08x
Harwick St Nicholas 1 196.08x
Lambeth 1 0.70x
Madron 1 66.23x
Marytavy 1 196.08x
Mawgan In Meneage 1 204.08x
St George Hanover Square 1 3.44x
St Keverne 1 97.09x
St Marythe Less 1 158.73x
Wendron 1 38.61x
Woolwich 1 4.81x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Blee surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 16
Elizabeth 8
Emily 5
Jane 5
Louisa 5
Annie 4
Eliza 3
Sarah 3
Susan 3
Alice 2
Charlotte 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Frances 2
Harriett 2
Sophia 2
Ada 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Ester 1
Fanny 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Johann 1
Julia 1
Levinia 1
Margret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Peninah 1
Phillippa 1
Prudance 1
Rosetta 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Blee surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Blee surname: questions and answers

How common was the Blee surname in 1881?

In 1881, 174 people were recorded with the Blee surname. That placed it at #14,042 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Blee surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 320 in 2016. That gives Blee a modern rank of #14,096.

What does the Blee surname mean?

A place name surname referring to someone from Blee, France.

What does the Blee map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Blee bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.