Blaylock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
A Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands was the first to use the surname Blaylock. It is a name for a person with dark hair. As such, the Blaylock surname most likely evolved from a nickname from the Middle English "blakelok," in turn from the Old English blec, meaning "black," or "dark," and locc, meaning a "lock of hair." 1
Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Black Loch, location names in Lanark, Renfrew and Stirling. 2
Early Origins of the Blaylock family
The surname Blaylock was first found in Wiltshire where Peter Blacloke was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 3
Dusting off more old references, we found Adam Blakelok in the Subsidy Rolls for Cumberland in 1332 and Robert Blaykelok in Yorkshire in 1431. 4
About fifty years later in Scotland, "William Blakloche, chaplain in the monastery of Dunfermlyne, appears as charter witness in 1483. " 5 The same source notes two of the same name but with very different stories: "Adam Blaiklok of the West Port of Edinburgh was hanged for perjury in 1615, and another Adam Blaiklok was constable of the parish of Kirkpatrick-Tuxta, 1617." 5
Early History of the Blaylock family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blaylock research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1332, 1400, 1597, 1598, 1637, 1638, 1684, 1721, 1791 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Blaylock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blaylock Spelling Variations
The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Blaylock has been spelled Blacklock, Blakelock, Blacklocke, Blakelocke, Blaikelock, Blaiklock and many more.
Early Notables of the Blaylock family
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blaylock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blaylock Ranking
In the United States, the name Blaylock is the 3,801st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6
Blaylock migration to the United States +
The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:
Blaylock Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Agnes Blaylock, aged 30, who landed in America from London, England, in 1910
- Harry Blaylock, aged 32, who landed in America from London, England, in 1910
- Henry Woodhouse Blaylock, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1910
- Harry Woodhouse Blaylock, aged 33, who landed in America from London, England, in 1911
- Agnes G. Blaylock, aged 31, who immigrated to America from London, England, in 1911
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Blaylock (post 1700) +
- Audie Blaylock (1962-2024), American singer, guitarist, mandolinist and composer in the bluegrass tradition
- Jeannie Blaylock, American twelve-time Emmy Award winning and Peabody award winning news anchor
- Cheryl Blaylock (b. 1953), American Emmy Award winning puppeteer, actress and comedian for Sesame Street
- Daron Oshay "Mookie" Blaylock (b. 1967), American former professional basketball player who spent 13 years in the National Basketball Association
- Robert Edward "Bob" Blaylock (b. 1935), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Anthony Blaylock (b. 1965), American former NFL cornerback football player
- Celia Ann "Mattie" Blaylock (1850-1888), romantic companion of Old West layman Wyatt Earp
- James Paul Blaylock (b. 1950), American fantasy author
- Chester Merle "Chet" Blaylock (1924-1996), American politician
- Linda Blaylock, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Oklahoma, 1992 7
- ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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/
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html