Blake
A surname with two main roots: in English it can mean “dark” or “pale,” while in Ireland it is tied to a medieval family who came from England.
The #447 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,184 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English use, Blake is usually explained from an Old English word related to colour, though older sources disagree about whether it originally meant “black/dark” or “pale/wan.” Medieval records also show it as a nickname-based surname, applied to someone by complexion. In Ireland, however, Blake became an established family name from a Norman settler lineage that arrived in the late 12th century.
History
The name is well attested in medieval England, where it appears early in records as a byname. In Ireland, the Blakes of Galway traced their descent from a man said to have come with Prince John in 1185, and the surname became especially prominent there. Because the same spelling developed in more than one way, modern Blakes may have different ancestral origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some historical writers connected Blake with a family of pale complexion, while others linked it to “black”; that long-running disagreement is part of the surname’s story.
From the historical record
“siu'name, hut h;n-e sioiic of the blood of that race. BLAKE. ''Bleke, wan of colour," Palsgr. A- Sax. Mccc, Mac, pallidus — a person of pale complexion. The Blalces of Ireland descend from Richard B., who accompanied Prince John to tliat country in 1185, and settled in co. Galway. BLAKELEY. Another form of Black-…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom