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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Blanche History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Blanche

What does the name Blanche mean?

The surname Blanche is derived from the French words "le" and "blanc", which translates to "the white." It was no doubt originally given to a man with white or blond hair and the feminine form, blanche, was usually given to a woman that possessed great beauty. 1

Early Origins of the Blanche family

The surname Blanche was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this ancient family were part of the Royal House of Blois and held a family seat with lands, titles, estates and manors. Members of this family were the hereditary Barons of Bailleul of Norman Conquest fame, and who assisted Duke William of Normandy, head of the House of Blois, in his conquest of England in 1066.

Members of this distinguished and Royal family branched to many locations throughout Europe and amongst the locations were: Silesia, Holland, Italy and Britain. The earliest record of the name Blanch occurred in Normandy between 1180-95 with William Blanc and Robert and John Blanche. 2

Another early finding of the name was Blanche of Navarre (1226-1283), also known as Blanche of Champagne, was the daughter of Theobald the Troubador, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne, and his second wife Agnes of Beaujeu. Blanche of Navarre (French: Blanche d'Évreux) (1330-1398) was Queen consort of France as the wife of King Philip VI of France. Blanche I (1387-1441) was Queen of Navarre from 1425 to 1441 and her daughter Blanche II of Navarre (1424-1464), was titular Queen of Navarre (1461-1464) and by marriage Princess of Asturias.

Another source also claims that the name could come from the Vendée, a department in western France and the town of Noirmoutiers, an island off of the west coast of France. 1

The name Blanche was first recorded in the western part of France with two former noble families. In Britain, Colin Blanche was a member of the house of the Duchess in 1400, Jean, was an armed archer for the Duc in 1420, and François, was a man involved in an armed watch of the city of Dinan in 1489. 3

The noble family with the name Blanche in Normandy and in Maine was maintained in the 1666 election around the time that Philippe was the Archbishop of Tours. The names including the article, such as Le Blanc, were most commonly seen in Northern France. 4

Jean Leblanc, born in 1620, was the son of Clement Leblanc and Anne Fevre. He was one of the first ancestors with the name Leblanc found in Canada. Jean married Euphrasie-Madeleine Nicolet on 21st November 1643 and together they had seven children. 5

Early History of the Blanche family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blanche research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1602, 1700, 1718, 1778 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Blanche History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blanche Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Blanche some of which are Leblanc, Lebland, Leblang, Le Blanc, Blanc, Blanche, Blanchet, Blancheteau, Blancheton, Blanchonnet, Blanchot, Blanchaud, Blanquet, Blancot, Bianchi, Blanchecappe, Blanchecotte, Le Blank, Blank, Blanque, Blanke, Blancke and many more.

Early Notables of the Blanche family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blanche Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blanche Ranking

In the United States, the name Blanche is the 12,270^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Blanche is ranked the 3,182^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 7

Blanche migration to the United States +

Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. In 1793, the remaining French in these provinces came under British rule. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Blanche were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Blanche were

Blanche Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Blanche, who settled in Virginia in 1635
John Blanche, who settled in Virginia in 1663

Blanche migration to Australia +

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

Blanche Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Blanche, (b. 1787), aged 51, English farm worker from Rolvenden, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, he died in 1860 8
Miss Elizabeth Blanche, (b. 1821), aged 18, English house servant from Rolvenden, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, she died in 1910 9
Miss Philadelphia Blanche, (b. 1823), aged 16, English house servant from Rolvenden, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, she died in 1872 10
Mr. Samuel Blanche, (b. 1826), aged 12, English settler from Rolvenden, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, he died in 1819 11
Miss Mary Blanche, (b. 1828), aged 9, English settler from Rolvenden, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, she emigrated to California C. 1855, she died in 1915 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Blanche (post 1700) +

Jacques-Émile Blanche (1861-1942), French artist and author, born in Paris, he was best known for his many portraits
Bartolomé Guillermo Blanche Espejo (1879-1970), Chilean military officer and provisional president of Chile in 1932
Thyra Blanche Alleyne (1875-1954), English academic, one of the first women to graduate from Durham University
Valentine Blanche Charlet MBE (1898-1985), English member of the Women's Transport Service with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II
Carmen Blanche Silvera (1922-2002), Canadian-born British comic actress, best known for her starring role in the British television programme, 'Allo 'Allo!
E. Blanche Phillips, American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Baltimore city 3rd District, 1935-37 13
Blanche Gardin (b. 1977), French comedian, actress and screenwriter
Blanche Wilhelmina Dogan (1913-1986), American corporal in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
Blanche Viola Berks (1918-1987), American private in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas
Blanche Albritton (1911-1999), née Webb, American private in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, first all-female, all-African-American battalion to server overseas

The Blanche 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: Sans tache
Motto Translation: Without stain.

Sources +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Dauzat, Albert, Morlet, Marie-Thérèse, Dictionaire Étymologique des Noms et Prénoms de France. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1987. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=35
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=36
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=37
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=38
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=39
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html