Is Blake a Viking name?
The origins of the name Blake are also considered to be Old Norse, first appearing in Yorkshire, England, possibly derived from the word Blaker, referring to a village and a former municipality of Akershus county, Norway (east of Oslo).
Blake is a gender-neutral name of British origin, meaning “black,” “dark,” “bright,” “shining,” or “pale.” It is derived from the Old English auto-antonym blac, which means both “white” or “pale” and “black” or “dark,” making its true intended meaning rather mysterious.
Blake is an Irish surname that was the name of one of the 14 Tribes of Galway in Ireland. These Blakes were descendants of Richard Caddell, alias Blake, who was involved in the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. As such a long present foreign name it became known as de Bláca in Irish.
Blake is a nickname meaning 'dark one', from a person with a dark complexion. This name is of Anglo-Norman descent spreading to Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in the above countries.
Etymology. From Middle English blak, blac (“pale”), from Old English blāc (“pale, pallid, wan, livid; bright, shining, glittering, flashing”) and Old Norse bleikr (“pale; yellow, pink; any non-red warm color”); both from Proto-Germanic *blaikaz (“pale; shining”).
- Arne: eagle.
- Birger: keeper.
- Bjørn: bear.
- Bo: the resident.
- Erik: absolute ruler.
- Frode: wise and clever.
- Gorm: he who worships god.
- Halfdan: the half Danish.
English and Scottish (England and central Scotland): variant of Black 1 meaning 'swarthy' or 'dark-haired' from a byform of the Old English adjective blæc blac 'black' with change of vowel length. English: nickname from Middle English blak(e) (Old English blāc) 'wan pale white fair'.
Blake was the 205th most popular boys name and 199th most popular girls name. In 2021 there were 1,840 baby boys and 1,497 baby girls named Blake. 1 out of every 1,011 baby boys and 1 out of every 1,189 baby girls born in 2021 are named Blake.
William Blake is a biblical interpreter whose work is not likely to be found among those recommended for study by students of the Bible. 1 Like his great contemporary S.T. Coleridge, however, he stands at the transition to what we know as historical criticism.
The name Blake is of Old English origin, having roots in Great Britain and Ireland. The last name Blake has been common for centuries, its popularity owing to the 18th century English poet, William Blake. Blake has since become a popular first name for both boys and girls.
Where did Blake grow up?
William Blake was born on November 28, 1757, in the Soho district of London, England. He only briefly attended school, being chiefly educated at home by his mother.
The surname Blake was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very ancient times, and Walter le Blake was recorded in the Pipe Rolls for the region in 1167. However some of the family moved far north to Twizell in Northumberland, about 10 miles from Berwick.

- Bee.
- Blakie.
- Blakey.
- Blakers.
- Kiki.
- Noah. As the most popular unisex baby name in 2020, Noah comes from the Old Testament and means “rest, repose.” ...
- James. ...
- Evelyn. ...
- Harper. ...
- Michael. ...
- Logan. ...
- Avery. ...
- Madison.
Blake -- an early unisex option -- dropped out of the Top 100 in 2017 for the first time since 1988, but remains a sophisticated choice. And yes, both conflicting meanings of Blake are accurate. It originated as a surname in England derived from a nickname.
Ragnar. A popular Viking name all across Scandinavia, Ragnar was made popular internationally by the success of the Vikings TV show and its lead character Ragnar “Lothbrok” Sigurdsson. What is this?
Bjorn. Bjorn is the Scandinavian form of Bernard. It can also mean “hero” or “warrior.” Bjorn might be one of the most recognizable Viking names today, and it's ready for your little bear cub to shine.
Blake is a cool name equally popular for boys and girls. In 2022, 224 boys and 221 girls were named Blake in the U.S. Blake can also be a surname, but its popularity as a given name deserves some recognition. Namesakes: Blake Griffin, an American basketball player. Blake Shelton, an American singer.
Through DNA testing, it is possible to effectively trace your potential inner Viking and discover whether it forms part of your genetic makeup or not. However, it's not 100% definitive. There's no exact Nordic or Viking gene that is passed down through the generations.
There are two ways of forming Norse names; the most common is using a given name with the addition of a patronymic byname, or a byname based on relationship. To create a patronym, the suffix -son 'son' or -dóttir 'daughter' is added to the genitive form of the father's name.
What were Viking surnames?
'The people of the Viking Age did not have family names, but instead used the system of patronymics, where the children were named after their father, or occasionally their mother. 'So, for example the son of Ivar would be given their own first name and then in addition “Ivar's son”.
The Blake surname in the 17th century was found in a number of distinct areas in the British Isles which included both England (including Wales), Scotland, and Ireland. There was also a significant Blake presence in the American Colonies well before 1700.
Popularity of the name Blake
The name Blake is ranked #1420 overall.
The name Blake is both a boy's name and a girl's name of English origin meaning "fair-haired, dark". The unisex Blake, which indeed has two conflicting meanings, has a briskly efficient image when used for a girl.
For Blake, Nature is a representation of the fact of human fall. For him, to be in Nature is to be isolated from the world of imagination, the world that, through exceptional and enlightening visions, approaches humankind to knowledge and to their awareness of their own existence.
Is this a holy thing to see In a rich and fruitful land, Babes reduced to misery Fed with cold and usurous hand?
Blake was a religious seeker but not a joiner. He was profoundly influenced by some of the ideas of Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg, and in April 1789 he attended the general conference of the New Church (which had been recently founded by followers of Swedenborg) in London.
Shelton married long time girlfriend Kaynette Gern on November 17, 2003. They divorced in 2006. In 2005, Shelton met singer Miranda Lambert at the CMT's 100 Greatest Duets Concert.
At the age of four, he saw God "put his head to the window," and at nine, he saw "a tree full of angels." Because of poverty and illness, these visions increased, and the world of angels and dreams made its way into Blake's highly prolific artist life—his poetry, engravings, and watercolors.
One of his most famous works is a book called Songs of Innocence and Experience. It was published in 1789 and was inspired by illuminated manuscripts made by monks in medieval times. One of the most famous poems in the book is called The Tyger. The painting below is called The Good and Evil Angels.
Is there a Blake tartan?
Notes: This tartan is designed to reflect the Scottish heritage of the Australian descendants of William & Agnes Blake. The design is copyrighted and no commercial use is permitted. However legitimate personal use by family members is allowed.
The Blake family motto was Virtus sola nobilitat. The family was seated at Cregg Castle, Galway, Ireland. This branch of the family descended from the Blakes of Renvyle, starting with Thomas Blake, son of Valentine Blake and Juliana Lynch, who had a son named Walter.
The surname Blake was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where the Blake family were one of the Tribes of Galway, descending from Richard Caddell (le Blac), sheriff of Connacht in 1303, who came to Ireland with Prince John in 1185, and used both the surnames Caddell and Blake ...
There are two different ways to spell Blake. Blake and Blayke. Blayke Tanner is not exactly what you would call popular.
The Blake family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Blake families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 668 Blake families living in Ontario. This was about 50% of all the recorded Blake's in Canada.
Popularity. For boys, the name Blake is experiencing some of its highest usage right now. Having achieved a place on America's coveted Top 100 list of favorite baby boy names in 1989, Blake has hit a plateau of sorts, averaging around position #85 for the past twenty years.
- Liam.
- Noah.
- Oliver.
- Elijah.
- James.
- William.
- Benjamin.
- Lucas.
- Florian.
- Gardener.
- Guthrie.
- Hero.
- Indiana.
- Jagger.
- Jericho.
- Kit.
...
According to Yau, these are the most typically unisex names:
- Jessie.
- Marion.
- Jackie.
- Alva.
- Ollie.
- Jodie.
- Cleo.
- Kerry.
Name Blake generally means Black and white or Light hair or skin, is of English, Scottish, Indian origin, Name Blake is a Masculine (or Boy) name.
What is the most popular Viking name?
Ragnar. A popular Viking name all across Scandinavia, Ragnar was made popular internationally by the success of the Vikings TV show and its lead character Ragnar “Lothbrok” Sigurdsson. What is this?
And experts say surnames can give you an indication of a possible Viking heritage in your family, with anything ending in 'son' or 'sen' likely to be a sign. Other surnames which could signal a Viking family history include 'Roger/s' and 'Rogerson' and 'Rendall'.
Ragnar Lothbrok
Arguably the most famous Viking warrior of them all, not least for his role as the leading protagonist in Vikings, the History Channel's popular drama.
Blake Overview
The name referred to descendants of Richard Caddell. Pronunciation: “BLAYK.” Popularity: Blake is a popular name for both men and women. Nicknames: Bee, Blakie, Blakey, Blakers, Kiki.
Poet, painter, engraver, and visionary William Blake worked to bring about a change both in the social order and in the minds of men. Though in his lifetime his work was largely neglected or dismissed, he is now considered one of the leading lights of English poetry, and his work has only grown in popularity.
Not only did many of the studied Vikings turn out to not be blond or blue-eyed, their genetic admixture shows they weren't a distinct ethnic group but rather a mix of various other groups, "with ancestry from hunter-gatherers, farmers, and populations from the Eurasian steppe."
The genetic legacy of the Viking Age lives on today with six per cent of people of the UK population predicted to have Viking DNA in their genes compared to 10 per cent in Sweden.
“It's pretty clear from the genetic analysis that Vikings are not a homogenous group of people,” says Willerslev. “A lot of the Vikings are mixed individuals” with ancestry from both Southern Europe and Scandinavia, for example, or even a mix of Sami (Indigenous Scandinavian) and European ancestry.