Bloom
A surname with several possible roots, most often linked either to flowers or to old iron-working terms.
The #1,483 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,821 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bloom can be a surname from more than one source. In English it may relate to the word for a flower or blossom, but some historical references also connect it with place-name forms or with Broom, a nearby plant name that could have been altered in local usage. In German and Dutch contexts, Bloom is closely related to words for "flower" or "bloom," and the same root appears in surnames such as Blum.
History
Historical sources do not give one single origin for all bearers of Bloom. In England, the name appears in records as a local or nickname-style surname, and some 19th-century writers also noted a possible connection with iron-working terms like "bloom" and "bloomary," though that explanation is less secure for the surname as a whole. In German-speaking families, Bloom is usually part of the broader flower-name surname tradition, often related to Blum. The surname is relatively uncommon in the U.S. today, with a modest but established presence.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One older English note says the Norfolk Blooms were “all Brooms,” showing how easily surname forms could shift by local pronunciation and spelling.
From the historical record
“/ earlier -el, and -et] BLUM (Ger.) Bloom, Flower [Ger. blume, M.H.Ger. bluome, O.H.Ger. SZuoma] BLUMBERG (Ger.) Flower-Hill [see Blum and Berg]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)