Black last name: U.S. rank #175.
First and last name.
Black is a common surname in the United States, so a name alone almost never identifies one person. Recordwell compares locations, age ranges and record history before linking anything.
Possible matches for Black
Pick the person you mean. A report is built only after the anchor fields line up.
Illustrative report
- Professional licence, activeanchored
- Property reference, structured recordanchored
- Other people named Blackname-only
Searching a common last name
A search engine returns whoever ranks highest, and most people-search sites stack all of them into one profile — mixing addresses, ages and employers that belong to different people.
Recordwell starts from anchor fields. A record joins the report only when it agrees with at least two of them — city, age range, employer or record history. Everything else stays in a separate name-only group, visible but never merged, so you can see what was considered and rejected.
Use the full name
A first and last name is much more useful than a surname alone, especially when the surname ranks among the most common in the Census.
Add a known place
A city or state narrows a common name faster than another general keyword, and the report keeps that location visible next to every match.
Check the labels
Anchored means the record agrees with the identity of the Black you are looking for. Name-only means it shares the name and nothing more.
How common the name Black is
Figures from the US Census Bureau's published surname file, which is public data about how often a name appears — not a count of anything we hold.
- 175thRank among US surnames
- 151KPeople recorded with this surname
- 51Per 100,000 people
Official data for Black
Black surname statistics
In the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 last-name table, Black ranks #175 with 151,439 recorded occurrences. The table reports 50.67 occurrences per 100,000 in the population used for the Census surname analysis. These are aggregate decennial data, not a live directory or a count of people who have that surname today.
| Dataset | U.S. rank | Occurrences | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Census | #175 | 151,439 | 50.67 |
| 2010 Census | #174 | 154,738 | 52.46 |
How Black changed from 2010 to 2020
The 2010 Census table listed 154,738 Black occurrences at rank #174. By the 2020 table, the recorded count decreased by 2.1%. Its rank moved from #174 to #175. This comparison describes a change between two Census tables; by itself it does not explain why the count or rank changed.
Compare Black with nearby surnames
Among the surname pages in this directory, nearby 2020 ranks include Hunt (#173, 152,764 occurrences), Hicks (#174, 151,942 occurrences), Palmer (#176, 151,165 occurrences), Salazar (#177, 150,906 occurrences). These links are useful for navigating the frequency table, but similar ranks do not imply that the names share an origin or that their bearers are related.
How to find a specific Black
The national rank narrows the field compared with the most common surnames, but 151,439 recorded occurrences still make a surname-only match inconclusive. Add the person's first name and a known place before reviewing candidates.
- Enter the full name. A first and last name is more useful than Black alone.
- Add a reliable place. Use a city or state the person is known to have lived in.
- Compare independent details. Look for agreement across age range, address history, relatives, education, or professional records.
- Do not treat one matching field as proof. A shared name or city can still point to the wrong person.
Use people search by state when the location is known, or follow the step-by-step name-search guide. If the name is incomplete, the broader people-search overview explains which details help narrow a result.
What the surname data can and cannot tell you
A Census surname row can describe national frequency. It cannot identify a particular person, prove a family relationship, establish the origin of an individual, or show where someone currently lives. Recordwell organizes returned records and public online signals for personal research, but important details should be checked against an independent record before you rely on them.
Recordwell is not a Consumer Reporting Agency. Do not use Recordwell reports for employment, tenant screening, credit, insurance, or another decision covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Data and methodology
The 2020 values come from the Census Bureau's top-1,000 last-name table and its 2020 last-name report. The comparison row comes from the 2010 surname table. Recordwell calculates the percentage change from the two published counts and reviews this page when the underlying dataset or methodology changes.
Black page · reviewed 9 August 2026 · Census surname figures
Questions about Black searches
How common is the last name Black in the United States?
The U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 last-name table records 151,439 Black occurrences, rank #175, or 50.67 per 100,000 in the population used for the analysis.
Did Black become more or less common between 2010 and 2020?
The recorded count decreased by 2.1%, from 154,738 in 2010 to 151,439 in 2020. Its rank moved from #174 to #175.
Does the Census count show how many people are named Black today?
No. It is an aggregate from the 2020 decennial Census surname table, not a real-time population register or a directory of identifiable people.
How do I find a specific person with the last name Black?
Start with the full name and a known city or state. Then compare several independent details, such as age range, address history, relatives, education, or professional records, before deciding that a result is the person you mean.
Can I use Recordwell for hiring or tenant screening?
No. Recordwell is not a Consumer Reporting Agency, and its reports may not be used for employment, tenant screening, credit, insurance, or other FCRA-covered decisions.
How do I find the right Black?
Add a city. Recordwell compares anchor fields — location, age range and record history — before linking anything to one person.
Why do results for common last names look messy elsewhere?
Most services merge records that only share a name into a single profile. We keep them apart and label the group that matched on the name alone.
How do I remove my own Black listing?
Use the opt-out page, or search yourself and follow the removal checklist in your report. Removal is free and confirmed by email.
Why does a Black search return so many people?
Black is a common surname, so a name alone rarely identifies one person. The candidates are shown separately with the field that separates them, instead of being merged into one profile.
Can I search by something other than a name?
Not here. The search takes a first and last name; a city narrows it further. An email, phone number or profile link is not accepted as the starting point.