Show ContentsBlane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the families to use the name Blane lived among the Boernicians of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The name comes from the Gaelic personal name Bleen, which means yellow. It was also the name of an early Celtic saint.

Early Origins of the Blane family

The surname Blane was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Blane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blane research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1561, 1660, 1674 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blane Spelling Variations

Before the printing press and the first dictionaries appeared, names and other words were often spelled differently every time they were written. Blane has appeared under the variations Blain, Blane, Blaine, Blaines, Blahan and others.

Early Notables of the Blane family

More information is included under the topic Early Blane Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blane Ranking

In the United States, the name Blane is the 17,443rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Blane family to Ireland

Some of the Blane family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Blane migration to the United States +

The Scots who crossed the Atlantic were often on the run from poverty as well as persecution. They brought little with them, and often had nothing of their home country to hand down to their children. In the 20th century, Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations have helped the ancestors of Boernician Scots to recover their lost national legacy. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Blane were among those contributors:

Blane Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Chrles Blane, aged 40, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Bourgogne" 2

Australia Blane migration to Australia +

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

Blane Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Harriet Blane, (b. 1824), aged 30, Cornish domestic servant departing from Plymouth on 19th August 1854 aboard the ship "Clara" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 19th November 1854 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Blane (post 1700) +

  • John Propst Blane (b. 1929), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda, 1982-85; Chad, 1985-88 4
  • John Blane, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Senate from Hunterdon County, 1862-64 4
  • John Blane, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hunterdon County, 1835-36 4
  • Frank E. Blane, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 20th District, 1918 4
  • Sir Gilbert Blane (1749-1834), Scottish physician, the fourth son of Mr. Gilbert Blane of Blanefield, Ayrshire 5
  • Blane Wheatley (b. 1963), American film actor, known for Monarch of the Moon (2005), The Unnamable (1988) and Bluegrass (1988)


The Blane 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: Paritur pax bello
Motto Translation: Peace is obtained by war.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2030
  3. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019


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