Show ContentsBlood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Blood is a Welsh name of old Celtic origin. The surname is from the well-known Welsh personal name Lloyd. The surname Blood features the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ab-" which means "son of." The original form of the name was "Ab-Lloyd," which evolved into "Ap-Llud" and then "Blud." 1

Early Origins of the Blood family

The surname Blood was first found in Cardiganshire (Welsh: Sir Aberteifi), the former Kingdom of Ceredigion, created as a county in 1282 by Edward I, and located on the West coast of Wales, where they held a family seat from ancient times. They are descended from the Lloyds of Cardigan,_Ceredigion' target='_blank'>Cardigan Castle.

Early History of the Blood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blood research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1600, 1613, 1618, 1660, 1661, 1671, 1672, 1680, 1688 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Blood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blood Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Blood have included Blood, Bloode, Blud, Bludd and others.

Early Notables of the Blood family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

  • Colonel Thomas Blood (1618-1680), a "noted bravo and desperado", an Irish-born colonel best known for attempting to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. He died on Tuesd...

Blood Ranking

In the United States, the name Blood is the 5,317th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Blood family to Ireland

Some of the Blood family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 143 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Blood migration to the United States +

The Welsh began to emigrate to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s in search of land, work, and freedom. Those that arrived helped shape the industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. The records regarding immigration and passenger show a number of people bearing the name Blood:

Blood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Blood, who settled in Lynn, Massachusetts with his brother Robert in 1623
  • James Blood, who landed in New England in 1639 3
  • Robert Blood, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1647 3
  • James Blood, who arrived in New England in 1657 3
  • Anth Blood, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Blood Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Catherine Blood who settled in Maryland in 1723
  • William Henry Blood, who landed in New York in 1799 3
Blood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • I R Blood, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 3
  • David R Blood, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 3
  • Harris Blood, who landed in New York in 1819 3
  • Jeremy Blood, who arrived in New Orleans in 1823
  • J H Blood, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Blood Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • E. S. Blood, aged 37, who landed in America, in 1904
  • Chas. N. Blood, aged 18, who landed in America from Cragmoher, Ireland, in 1905
  • Caroline L. Blood, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1907
  • George Thomas Blood, aged 4, who settled in America from London, England, in 1907
  • Dora A. Blood, aged 5, who immigrated to America, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Blood migration to Australia +

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

Blood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • R. Blood, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caroline" in 1849 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Blood (post 1700) +

  • Major-General Kenneth Thompson Blood (1888-1979), American Member War Department Personnel Board (1944-1945) 5
  • Rogers Blood (1922-1944), United States Marine Corps officer and posthumous Silver Star recipient
  • Ernest Blood (1872-1955), American basketball coach
  • Robert Oscar Blood (1887-1975), American physician and politician, two terms as Governor of New Hampshire
  • Benjamin Paul Blood (1832-1919), American philosopher and poet
  • Aretas Blood (1816-1897), American locomotive builder of early railroad steam locomotives
  • Francis Blood, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate from Hillsborough County, 1784-85; Member of New Hampshire Governor's Council, 1784-85 6
  • D. P. Blood, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1896 6
  • Charles Blood, American politician, Village President of Rantoul, Illinois, 1925 6
  • Caleb B. H. Blood, American politician, U.S. Consul in Monterrey, 1862-64 6
  • ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Royal Oak
  • Samuel Blood (1923-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 7


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CAROLINE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caroline.htm
  5. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 22) Kenneth Blood. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Blood/Kenneth_Thompson/USA.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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