This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the black,' from the complexion; compare Blackman, Blue, White, Hoare, Blunt, Russell, &c.

Hamo le Blake, Buckinghamshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Reginald le Blake, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Reyner le Blake, Norfolk, ibid.

Edericke le Blacke, Lincolnshire, ibid.

William le Blake, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Margery la Blak, Close Rolls, 3 Edward II.

1783. Married — Allin Blake and Dorothy Peregrine: St. George, Hanover Square.

"A great difficulty with the Black-names," says Harrison, "is the impossibility in many cases of deciding whether the etymon is the Old English blaec, blac, 'black,' or the OE, blac, 'bright,' 'white,' 'pale.' Normally blaec, blac, yields 'black,' and blac should give 'blake' (or 'bloke'); but the forms are inextricably confused, and the present spelling is often no guide to the pronunciation past or present." Blaecca is a well-known Old English personal name, and Beda says (H. E., II, 16) that the baptism of Blaecca, prefect of the city of Lincoln, and his whole household was the first fruits of the preaching of Paulinus, A.D. 628. In early Scots Latin charters the name is rendered Niger. Hugh Niger appears as a charter witness in Angus in 1178 (RAA., I, p. 9), and Radulfus niger, deacon of Lothian, was a charter witness in Fife between 1200—1210 (LAC., p. 131; LSC., p. 38). Robertus Niger, burgess of Elgin, witnessed a composition between Simon, bishop of Moray and Freskyn de Moravia, lord of Duffus, in 1248 (REM., p. 114), Adam the Black was one of the jurors on an inquisition held at Lanark in 1303 (Bain, II, 1420), Thomas Blak, a Scots prisoner of war in the Tower of London, was released in 1353 (Bain, III, 1568), another Thomas Blak was tenant of Rahill in 1376 (RHM., I, p. lviii), and Laurencius Blac was juror at a court held at "Le Ballocis Hill" near Inverness in 1376—7 (Innes Familie, p. 63). Thomas Blac was a witness in 1463 (Lennox, II, p. 78), and James Blak and William Blake appear as jurors on an inquest in Lanark in 1498 (Lanark, p. 9). The surname was common in St. Andrews and in Prestwick in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and very common in Edinburgh in the seventeenth century. The Clan Lamont Society claims that Blacks were originally Lamonts who changed their name. William Black the novelist, traced his pedigree to a branch of Clan Lamont who were driven from Lamont territory under a leader called the Black Priest. The surname is also used as an Englishing of Macilduy and Macildowie (G M'llle dhuibh or Mac Gille dhuibh, 'son of the black lad'). In Arngyllshire it is a translation of Huie, which itself is a much curtailed form of Mac Gille dhuibh. Members of the old family of Black of Wateridgemuir, Logie-Buchan, have been burgesses of Aberdeen for at least four hundred and fifty years. Blacke 1682, Blaick 1647, Blayk 1363. See also Blake.

From Old English blac, pale, wan, of complexion. Luce Blake was tenant of land in Waldefgate, Berwick, c. 1266 (Kelso, 47), and Atkyn Blake was a charter witness in Ayr c. 1340 (Friars Ayr, p. 15). Thomas Blaik was a notary in Thornhill in 1627 (RPC., 2. ser. II, p. 27), John Blaik in Upper Cassie and John Blaik in Upper Dumfedling are in record in 1684, and William Bleak in Castlehill in the same year (RPC., 3. ser. X, p. 218,219). Five of the name are recorded in the Edinburgh Marriage Records. T. Blake, a Scot, was the first Briton to reach the city of Mexico before 1536. See under Black.

(English) 1 Dark-complexioned. [Middle English blak, blacke, Old Englishblæc-Old Norse blakk-r] Edericke le Blacke.—Hundred Rolls 2 confused with Blake, q.v.

An English name very numerous in Ulster sometimes used as a translation of Dubh or for Kilduff (Duff) q.v. Bibl; App. infra; MIF 282

(English) One with a dark or swarthy complexion; descendant of Blaec or Blac (black or pale). Note: Old English blaec is black, whereas Old English blac is white or pale, and the two words are inextricably confused in names.

Blac and Blache are prae-Domesday names, and doubtless refer in general to the dark complexion and black hair of the original owners. Mr. Wright tells us that Wulric the Black, the ally of the famous Hereward the Saxon, was "so named because on one occasion he had blackened his face with charcoal, and thus disguised, had penetrated unobserved among his enemies, and killed ten of them with his spear before he made his retreat. Essays, ii., 102.

"Bleke, wan of colour," Palsgr. Anglo-Saxon blcec, blac, pallidus-a person of pale complexion. The Blakes of Ireland descend from Richard B., who accompanied Prince John to that country in 1185, and settled in co. Galway.

A corruption of the British Ap Lake, from Ap, signifying from, or son, and Lake,—the son of Lake. The family went into Ireland with Strongbow, where the name became corrupted into Blake. Ap Lake was one of the knights of Arthur's Round Table.

Odo, Robert, Matthew, Umfrid, and William Niger (black) occur in Normandy 1180-98 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). Roger Niger occurs 1124 in a charter of Henry I. to Dive Abbey (Gall. Christ. xi. 159). Robertus Niger held lands in Kent 1086 (Domesd.). In 1130 Godehart le Blac occurs at Carmarthen, Nicholas Blac in Warwick 1158 (Rot. Pip.), whose son Geoffry Blache 1165 held from Pershore Abbey. In 1165 Hamo Niger held a fee from Hamo Fitz- Meinfelin, Bucks (Lib. Niger). Some native English families may be included under the name.

From the Danish, Black; from the Flemish, Blake; from the Dutch, Blaak, Blak; a personal name.

Blake is a south of England name, found most frequently in Wiltshire, Cornwall, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire. It was long known and is still found in Reading; the mayors of that town in 1683, 1710, and 1720 bore the name (Co.).

Amongst the old established Wiltshire families I may refer to that of Blake, which is at present best represented around Chippenham. There were Blakes in Warminster in the reign of Elizabeth, and they are still to be found there, and the name has been represented in Ludgershall since the beginning of the 17th century (H.). An influential family of this name owned Pinhill House in Calne in the 17th century.