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Blue History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Blue History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland

Etymology of Blue

What does the name Blue mean?

The ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada is thought to be the home of the ancestors of the Blue family. Their name comes from someone having lived in the county of Argyll (now in the Strathclyde region), on the isle of Arran. The name Blues may also be derived from the Gaelic word "gorm", which means Blue. The name is also commonly found on tombstones in and around Knapdale. One may presume that because of this, the origin of the name may have been derived from a marriage to a MacMillan. Furthermore, the Anglicized name Blue may have derived from a particular branch of the MacMillans called the "MacGhilleghuirm", which means "son of the blue lad."

Early Origins of the Blue family

The surname Blue was first found in Argyllshire on the isle of Arran, where they held a family seat from ancient times, and the name can frequently be found on tombstones in and around Knapdale, on the isle of Arran.

Early History of the Blue family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blue research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1360 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Blue History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blue Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages, the translation between Gaelic and English was not a highly developed process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and so, an enormous number of spelling variations appear in records of early Scottish names. Blue has appeared as Blue, Blew, Blewe, Bleu, Gorm, Gilligorm and others.

Early Notables of the Blue family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Gillegorn (servant of Blue) of Arran

Blue Ranking

In the United States, the name Blue is the 1,162^nd most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1

Blue migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Blue or a variant listed above:

Blue Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Malcolm Blue, who landed in North Carolina in 1748 2
Jane Blue, who landed in New York in 1775 2

Blue Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Malcom Blue, aged 60, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Alexander Blue, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Archibald Blue, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1812 2
Daniel Blue, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1812 2
George and Duncan Blue, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blue migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Blue Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Blue, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1848

Blue migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Blue Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William "Billy" Blue (c. 1767-1834), English convict from Maidstone, Kent for of stealing raw sugar and sent to Botany Bay aboard the Minorca in 1801, eponym of Blues Point on Sydney Harbour, Blue Street and Blues Point Road in North Sydney, Billy Blue College of Design and Blues Point Tower
Thomas Blue, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lord Ashburton" in 1850 3

Blue migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Blue Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

D. Blue, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" in 1860
Mr. Daniel Blue, British settler travelling from Liverpool (Mersey) aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand then Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in 1860 4
Mr. Dugald Blue, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Robert Henderson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th October 1861 4
Mr. John Blue, British settler, from Scotland travelling from London aboard the ship "New Great Britain" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 10th August 1863 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Blue (post 1700) +

Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (1949-2023), American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who won three consecutive World Series championships from 1972 to 1974, the American League (AL) Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971
Josh Blue (b. 1978), American comedian
David Blue (1941-1982), born Stuart David Cohen, an American singer-songwriter and actor, best known for writing the song "Outlaw Man" for the Eagles
Aurora Blue, American child actress, known for Inside Out (2015), Daddy's Home (2015)and Tom Sawyer & HuckleBerry Finn (2014)
Dylan Blue, American Young Artist Award winning actor, known for Deck the Halls (2006), Just Like the Son (2006) and Big Lake (2010)
David Blue, American actor, singer and dancer, known for his work in SGU Stargate Universe (2009), Sunset Overdrive (2014) and The Concessionaires Must Die! (2015)
Bob Blue (1948-2006), American teacher and songwriter, best known for his song, The Ballad of Erica Levine
Herbert Clifton Blue (1910-1990), American Newspaper Publisher, North Carolina State Legislator
George R Blue Sr. (1916-1986), American lawyer, and State Legislator
Anthony Arthur Crampton "Tony" Blue (1936-2020), Australian middle-distance runner who competed in the 800 metres at the 1960 and 1984 Summer Olympics
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LORD ASHBURTON 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850LordAshburton.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html