Blaker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Blaker

What does the name Blaker mean?

The Blaker name was coined by the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Blaker was originally a name given to someone who worked as a fabric bleacher having derived from the Old English word blaecan which literally means to bleach. The first record of the name was with the spelling Blakere in Norfolk in 1047-64, 1 pre-Domesday Book which is quite rare.

Early Origins of the Blaker family

The surname Blaker was first found in Somerset. The name was also a baptismal name as in 'the son of Blacre' or as Blacar which were listed in the Domesday Book. 2 Notwithstanding the claim by the Irish branch of the family that they are descended from Blacar, a Norse chieftain who settled in Dublin, Ireland, sometime around the tenth century, there is no hard evidence of this relationship, and it is unlikely that such a family would have moved northward to Armagh. The Cartularium Abbathiae de Whiteby, Ordinis S. Benedicti has three listings of the name from the 12th century: Richard filius Blacker; Baldwin filius Blacker; and Walterus filius Godfridi filius Blacker. 3

Early History of the Blaker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blaker research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1312, 1630, 1657, 1659, 1660 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Blaker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blaker Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Blaker are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Blaker include: Blacker, Blacre, Blackers, Blaker, Blackre, Blacar, Blaiker, Blackar, Blackire and many more.

Early Notables of the Blaker family

Distinguished members of the family include

Edward Blaker (1630-1678), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons for New Shoreham in 1659 and from 1660 to 1678, High Sheriff of Sussex (1657.)...

Blaker Ranking

In the United States, the name Blaker is the 17,872^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Blaker family to Ireland

Some of the Blaker family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blaker migration to Australia +

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

Blaker Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Blaker who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Elizabeth Blaker, aged 25, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Stag" 6

Blaker 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:

Blaker Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Blaker, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Ennerdale" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1849 7
Mrs. Blaker, British settler travelling from London with 2 children aboard the ship "Ennerdale" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1849 7
Albert Blaker, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Blaker (post 1700) +

Eliza Cooper Blaker (1854-1926), American educator who headed the free kindergarten movement in Indianapolis from 1882 to 1926
Randall Clay Blaker (b. 1950), American country musician, singer-songwriter
Cedric Blaker CBE MC ED JP (1889-1965), English entrepreneur in China and Hong Kong, Chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Hugh Oswald Blaker (1873-1936), English artist, collector, art dealer in Old Masters
Richard Norman Rowsell "Dick" Blaker MC (1879-1950), English amateur sportsman who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club during the Golden Age of cricket prior
Sir Peter Allan Renshaw Blaker KCMG, PC (1922-2009), Baron Blaker, an English Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for Blackpool South (1964-1992)
Sir John Blaker (b. 1935), 3rd Baronet of Brighton, an English peer
Sir John George Blaker (1854-1926), 1st Baronet or Brighton, an English peer and Mayor of Brighton (1895-1898)
Roderick Blaker (b. 1936), Canadian Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons
Sir Reginald Blaker TD (1900-1975), 2nd Baronet or Brighton, a British Conservative politician and English peer
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STAG 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Stag.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html