Blay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Blay

What does the name Blay mean?

The surname is one of the oldest family names to come from that French region known as Languedoc. It is derived from the personal name Blaise. As such, it means "son of Blaise."

Early Origins of the Blay family

The surname Blay was first found in Languedoc.

This ancient family is recorded in 1459 when Robert de Blay was the Municipal Magistrate of Toulouse. His noble descendant, Philippe, was the Gentleman of the Chamber and personal bodyguard to the Duke of Orléans (Louis XII). Throughout the centuries, this family prospered and branched to several provinces where members of this celebrated family became prominent citizens holding titles and estates. Recorded in 1600, Raymond Blay settled at Perpignan where his son became consul in 1675 and was mentioned in the register of the Church of la Réal.

Due to their prominent position in society, this family formed many alliances with other leading families of the times and in this way, the family acquired many titles and lands. Among the more important alliances were the marriages between Antoine Blay and Candide de Vilar, June 18, 1707, and Jean Blay and Mathilde de Gaïx in 1844. The family acquired the castle of Gaïx from this marriage. Their son, Gabriel, received permission to continue the Gaïx name, but the House of Richard Ble acquired the barony of Gaïx in 1719.

Pierre Blais, born in 1639, son of Mathurin and Françoise, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Anne Perrot, born in 1643, daughter of Jean and Jeanne (née Valta), at Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans on 12th October 1669. He married again on 5th June 1689 to Elisabeth Royer, daughter of Jean and Marie (née Targer). They remained together in Quebec until Pierre passed away at Saint-Jean-de-l'île-d'Orléans in 1669. 1

Early History of the Blay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blay research. The years 1459, 1600, 1675, 1707, 1844 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Blay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blay Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Blay is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Blais, Blaies, Blay, Blaise, de Blais, de Blaies, de Blaise, Blaize, Blaison, Blaisot and many more.

Early Notables of the Blay family

Robert de Blay, Municipal Magistrate of Toulouse

Blay Ranking

the United States, the name Blay is the 12,891^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Blay is ranked the 4,929^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3

Blay migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Blay has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Blay were

Blay Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jame Blay, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 4
Eliz Blay, who landed in Virginia in 1657 4
Mary Blay, who landed in Maryland in 1658 4
Edward Blay, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 4

Blay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A P Blay, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Samuel Blay, who arrived in Arkansas in 1898 4

Blay migration to Australia +

Blay Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Blay, (b. 1792), aged 27, English butcher who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1821 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Blay (post 1700) +

Andre Blay, American businessman, film producer, and studio executive, former CEO of 20th Century Fox Video and Embassy Home Entertainment
J. Benibengor Blay (b. 1915), Ghanaian journalist, writer, publisher and politician
George Blay (b. 1980), former Ghanaian footballer, member of the Ghana National Team (2000-2002)
Edward "Eddie" Blay (1937-2006), Ghanaian boxer in the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics, two-time Commonwealth Games champion (1962 and 1966)
Dr Blay Whitby, English philosopher and technology ethicist at the University of Sussex

Sources +

Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary