Blessed History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Blessed is derived from the Middle English word "iblescede", which roughly means "to make sacred," in the sense "happy, fortunate." From 1300 onwards the word occurs as blisced, blissed, a form surviving, no doubt in Blissett, which may also derive from a woman’s name: Blissot atte Pole which appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327. 1

Early Origins of the Blessed family

The surname Blessed was first found in Oxfordshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Hugh de Blesset as hold lands there at that time. The same source lists the forename Bissot. 2

Later in Cornwall, we found Alicia Iblessed in 1297 and in Staffordshire, we found John de Blessed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. 1

Early History of the Blessed family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blessed research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1752 is included under the topic Early Blessed History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blessed Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Blessed include Blessed, Blisset, Blissit, Blizard, Blizzard, Blissett and many more.

Early Notables of the Blessed family

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

Blessed migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blessed or a variant listed above:

Blessed Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Blessed, who landed in Maryland in 1670 3

Blessed 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:

Blessed Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Blessed, aged 21, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857

Contemporary Notables of the name Blessed (post 1700) +

Blessed Florentino Asensio Barroso (1877-1936), Spanish Catholic bishop and martyr
Blessed Giuseppina Nicoli (1863-1924), Italian nun
Blessed Eurosia Fabris (1866-1932), Italian "model of holiness in the daily life of a Catholic family;" the Vatican has started her on the process of canonization
Blessed Louis Brisson OSFS (1817-1908), French Roman Catholic priest who founded the congregations of the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales and the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
Blessed Ivan Merz (1896-1928), Croatian Catholic lay activist
Blessed Luis Sotelo (1574-1624), Spanish Franciscan friar who died as a martyr in Japan
Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen, German count, Bishop of Münster, and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)