Blancheflower History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient Norman culture that was established in England after the Conquest of 1066 produced the name of Blancheflower. It was given to a man with a pale appearance. This nickname derives from the Old French blanch, meaning white or pale, and fleur, meaning flower.

Early Origins of the Blancheflower family

The surname Blancheflower was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Kingston, and conjecturally the family is descended from Hubert de St. Clar who held his lands from the Count of Mortaine at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book Survey in 1086 A.D.

Early History of the Blancheflower family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blancheflower research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blancheflower History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blancheflower Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Blanceflower, Blanchflower, Blancheflower, Blanchflour, Blankflower and many more.

Early Notables of the Blancheflower family

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

Blancheflower migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Blancheflower or a variant listed above:

Blancheflower Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Blancheflower, who arrived in Virginia in 1684 1

Citations +

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)