Bliffin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

Etymology of Bliffin

What does the name Bliffin mean?

From the Celtic land of Wales came the name of Bliffin. This name initially evolved from the Welsh personal name Blethyn.

Early Origins of the Bliffin family

The surname Bliffin was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where Meredith Ap Blethyn was Prince of North Wales in the 11th century. William the Conqueror seized Prince Meridith's castle at Oswestry in Shropshire after 1066 but he retained his Welsh estates. 1 2

"At the Survey we see that King William was Lord of this manor (Mileham), but soon after Alan, son of Flaald, obtained it by the gilt of William the Conqueror; also the castle of Oswaldstrey in Shropshire, which belonged to Meredith ap Blethyn, a Welshman or Briton." 3

Dafydd ap Bleddyn (died 1346), also known as David ap Blethin, was the Welsh Catholic Bishop of St. Asaph in Wales from 1315 to 1346.

Early History of the Bliffin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bliffin research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1366, 1391, 1524, 1579, 1590, 1601, 1627, 1652 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Bliffin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bliffin Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Bliffin has occasionally been spelled Blevin, Blevyn, Ap Blethyn, Ap Plethyn, Plethen, Blethin, Blethen, Blevins and many more.

Early Notables of the Bliffin family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was William Blethyn, (d.1590), Bishop of Llandaff in 1579. He was born in Wales, and educated at Oxford, at either New Inn Hall or Broadgates Hall...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bliffin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bliffin family

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Bliffin: G. Blethen, who arrived in San Francisco in 1851.

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Page, William (ed), A History of the County of Norfolk. London: Victoria County History, 1906. Print