Contents [hide]

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

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Blackwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Blackwood

What does the name Blackwood mean?

The ancient Scottish name Blackwood was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name lived in Ayrshire, but interestingly, the name Blackwood may also be derived from the Old English words blaec, which means black, and wudu, which means wood, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a dark, wooded area.

Early Origins of the Blackwood family

The surname Blackwood was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

One of the first records of the family was of Robert Blakwode, a native of Scotland, who was discharged from prison in London as he was unjustly arrested in 1384. Later, Andrew Blackwud, was bailie of Perth in 1532 and Adam Blackwood was one of the Privy Council of Mary Queen of Scots. 1

Early History of the Blackwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blackwood research. Another 196 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1500, 1539, 1549, 1581, 1613, 1614, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blackwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackwood Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Blackwood has been spelled Blackwood, Blackwode, Blakewood, Blaikwood, Blackewood and many more.

Early Notables of the Blackwood family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Adam Blackwood (1539-1613), Scottish writer having descended from a family in good circumstances, and was born at Dunfermline in 1539. "His father, William Blackwood, was slain in battle before the so...
Henry Blackwood (d. 1614), was a Scottish physician, "descended from a family of good position in Fifeshire, and was a brother of Adam Blackwood. " 2

Blackwood Ranking

In the United States, the name Blackwood is the 3,959^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Blackwood is ranked the 326^th most popular surname with an estimated 142 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Blackwood family to Ireland

Some of the Blackwood family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackwood migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:

Blackwood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Miss Susan Blackwood, British maid who arrived in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "Abigaile" 5
Susan Blackwood, who landed in Virginia in 1622 6
Phineas Blackwood, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 6

Blackwood Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Blackwood, who settled in Virginia in 1716
John Blackwood, who landed in America in 1765 6

Blackwood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Blackwood, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1803
Andrew Blackwood, aged 37, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
Joseph Blackwood, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1843 6
W C Blackwood, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Lawrence Blackwood, who landed in St Clair County, III in 1869 6

Blackwood migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Blackwood Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

the Blackwoods originally from Edinburgh who settled on Swain's Island, Newfoundland, but later moved to the Bonavista Bay area on the mainland early 19th century
James Blackwood, who landed in Canada in 1820
Ebenezer Blackwood, who settled in Bona Vista, Newfoundland in 1826 7

Blackwood migration to Australia +

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

Blackwood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Blackwood, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. William Blackwood, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Miss Helen Blackwood, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Margaret Blackwood, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Medina" 11
James Blackwood, aged 31, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blackwood 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:

Blackwood Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Blackwood, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 13
Mary Blackwood, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 13
John Blackwood, aged 8, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 13
Isabella Blackwood, aged 5, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 13
Grace Blackwood, aged 3 weeks, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Blackwood (post 1700) +

Michael Blackwood (1934-2023), German-born American independent documentary filmmaker who founded Blackwood Productions, now known as Michael Blackwood Productions, in 1966
Easley Blackwood Jr. (1933-2023), American professor of music, concert pianist and composer from Indianapolis, Indiana
Lyle Vernon Blackwood (b. 1951), American former National Football League safety
James Webre Blackwood (1919-2002), American Gospel singer, one of the founding members of The Blackwood Brothers, an eight-time Grammy award-winning American Southern Gospel group
Ibra Charles Blackwood (1878-1936), American politician, the 97th Governor of South Carolina from 1931 to 1935
John Blackwood, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Gloucester County, 1791-94 14
Joel Leslie Blackwood (1861-1947), American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Cabell County, 1915 14
Ibra Charles Blackwood (1878-1936), American Democratic Party politician, Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives, 1903-05; Governor of South Carolina, 1931-35 14
Harold Blackwood, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Oakland County 2nd District, 1938 14
Edmund J. Blackwood, American politician, Delegate to Montana convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933 14
... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Blackwood family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. James Blackwood (1920-1941), Australian Stoker from Botany, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 15

The Blackwood Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Per vias rectas
Motto Translation: By right ways.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MEDINA 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/medina1852.shtml
South Australian Register Thursday 20 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SHACKAMAXON 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/shackamaxon1853.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp