Blind Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestry of the name Blind dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived at Bland in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Probably "an Anglo-Saxon personal name with the usual local suffix dropped. [cp. Old English blandan, to blend; and the derived blanden-feax, 'having mixed-coloured or grey hair.'] " 1

However, "the adjective bland, mild, gentle is, I think or insufficient antiquity to be the etymon. The Blands of Kippax, at a very early period, resided at and gave name to Bland's Gill, co. York " 2

"This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Bland,' one of the four hamlets of which the town of Sedburgh (Yorkshire) is comprised. It is not a complimentary nickname, but distinctly local." 3

"The Blands of Kippax, at a very early period, resided at and gave name to Bland's Gill, co. York." 2

Early Origins of the Blind family

The surname Blind was first found in at Bland or Bland's Gill in the chapel of How Gill and the parish of Sedburg in Yorkshire. One reference claims that name came from the hamlet of Blond. The earliest mention of the name was in 1132 where Richard, son of Hugh Bland of Disford was listed as benefactor relating to the Abbey of Foundations. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes de Bland; Adam de Bland; Matilda Bland, 1379; and Wymerk de Bland. 3

Early History of the Blind family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blind research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1563, 1604, 1614, 1629, 1642, 1653, 1657, 1662, 1663, 1664, 1665, 1668, 1671, 1681, 1686, 1691, 1693, 1700, 1712, 1713, 1715, 1720, 1727, 1743, 1756, 1763, 1928 and 1950 are included under the topic Early Blind History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blind Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Blind have been found, including Bland, Blands and others.

Early Notables of the Blind family

Notables of the family at this time include John Bland (died 12 July 1555) English Protestant clergyman and martyr, rector of Adesham, burnt at the stake; Sir Thomas Bland, 1st Baronet of Kippax Park (1614-1657); Sir Francis Bland, 2nd Baronet of Kippax Park (1642-1663); Sir Thomas Bland, 3rd Baronet of Kippax Park (1662-1668); Sir John Bland, 4th Baronet of Kippax Park (1663-1715); and Sir John Bland, 5th Baronet of Kippax Park (1691-1743), Member of Parliament for Lancashire (1713-1727.) Tobias Bland (1563?-1604), English divine, born in or about 1563, matriculated as a sizar of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge. Elizabeth Bland...
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blind Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blind Ranking

In the United States, the name Blind is the 18,333^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Blind family to Ireland

Some of the Blind family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blind migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Blind, or a variant listed above:

Blind Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jakob Blind, who landed in America in 1781 6

Blind Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Blind, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1887 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Blind (post 1700) +

Karl Blind (1826-1907), German revolutionary
Blind Lemon Jefferson (1897-1930), American country blues guitarist and vocalist

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)