Contents [hide]

Blakely History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Blakely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Blakely dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Blæcleah which meant "dark wood" or "dark clearing". The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book and little growth of the community was seen until the 19th century. By the middle of the 17th century Blackley was a village of just 107 inhabitants. Today Blackley is a suburb of Manchester with a population of over 10,000 people. There is also a hamlet named Blackey in West Yorkshire.

The Blackledge variant is interesting. It was derived from Black-lake, which evolved into Blackleach. "Probably the spot mentioned in a charter c. 1200 connected with property in Wilmslow parish, East Cheshire, from which district the name in most cases is undoubtedly sprung. " 1

Early Origins of the Blakely family

The surname Blakely was first found in Lancashire at Blackley, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Manchester, hundred of Salford. 2 The first record of this chapelry was in 1282 when it was known as Blakeley and literally meant "dark wood or clearing," for the Old English "blaec" + "leah." 3

Today Blakesley Hall is a Tudor hall on Blakesley Road in Yardley, Birmingham, England. Originally a timber-framed farmhouse, it was built in 1590.

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Adam de Blakeneye, alias Adam de Blakeleye, London was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. In Cheshire, the Wills at Chester included: Jane Blakeley, of Bury, widow; and Ralph Blakeley, of Bury. 1 John Blakelache was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 4

Much further to the north in Scotland, the first record was of Radulphus Blackley who was juror on inquest at Berwick, 1321. 5

Early History of the Blakely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blakely research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1321, 1473, 1587, 1601, 1615, 1662 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blakely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakely 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 Blakely have been found, including Blackley, Blakely, Blakley, Blacklee, Blackely, Blackledge, Blacklege, Blatchly and many more.

Early Notables of the Blakely family

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

Blakely Ranking

In the United States, the name Blakely is the 2,663^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Blakely family to Ireland

Some of the Blakely family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakely 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 Blakely, or a variant listed above:

Blakely Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Blakely, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 7

Blakely Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David Blakely, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767

Blakely Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Blakely, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 7
Mrs. Blakely, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 7
James Blakely, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1819 7
Joseph Blakely, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1822
English Blakely, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1834 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blakely migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Blakely Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Chambers Blakely U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8
Mr. James Blakely U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8

Blakely Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Blakely, aged 50, a widow, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
William Blakely, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Elizabeth Blakely, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Martha Blakely, aged 4, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Emily Blakely, aged 2, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blakely migration to Australia +

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

Blakely Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Blakely, (Blakeley), (b. 1789), aged 28, Irish convict who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 25th May 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1817 aboard the ship it is reported while conducting a mutiny 9
Hannah Blakely, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Planter" in 1839 10
Philip Blakely, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Eliza" in 1849 11
Phillip Blakely, aged 21, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Eliza" 11
Sarah Blakely, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "General Hewett"

Blakely migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Blakely Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Herbert Blakely, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 12
Mr. Herbert Blakely, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Black Eagle" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th November 1861 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Blakely (post 1700) +

Sara Treleaven Blakely (b. 1971), American businesswoman and philanthropist, founder of Spanx, an American intimate apparel company with pants and leggings, listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2014
Troy A. Blakely (1949-2018), American talent agent, managing partner and Head of Music for the Agency for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Howard "Linc" Blakely (1912-1976), American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1934 season
Lara Larramendi Blakely, American politician, former Mayor of Monrovia, California
John Russell Young Blakely (1872-1942), American Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, eponym of the USS J. R. Y. Blakely (DE-140), an Edsall-class destroyer escort
Ebenezer Blakely (1806-1889), American lawyer and politician, New York State Senator in 1854
Vice Admiral Charles Adams Blakely (1879-1950), American officer in the United States Navy during World War I, eponym of the USS Blakely (DE-1072/FF-1072), a Knox-class destroyer escort
Allison Blakely, American academic historian awarded the American Book Award in 1988
Diann Blakely (b. 1957), American poet, essayist, and reviewer, awarded the Pushcart Prize (1994, 1995) and the Poetry Society of America's Alice Fay di Castagnola Award (1999)
Susan Blakely (b. 1948), American Golden Globe Award winning film actress, known for her roles in Over the Top (1987), The Towering Inferno (1974) and The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979)
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 20th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PLANTER 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Planter.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELIZA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Eliza.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html