Blacks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Blacks

What does the name Blacks mean?

The origins of the Blacks surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was a person associated with the color black. The name Blacks may have referred to someone with black hair or clothing, or to somone who worked in a profession such as chimney sweeping, which left its practitioners covered in soot.

Early Origins of the Blacks family

The surname Blacks was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. It is said that the first family of Black were converted to Christianity by Paulinus, the head of the family being Prefect of Lincoln, about 628. They moved northward, however, and were well established in Scotland by 1175 A.D.

Early History of the Blacks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blacks research. Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1756, 1760, 1778, 1797, 1854, 1886 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blacks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blacks Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Blacks has been recorded under many different variations, including Black, Blacke and others.

Early Notables of the Blacks family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blacks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blacks family to Ireland

Some of the Blacks family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blacks migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Blacks or a variant listed above:

Blacks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J P Blacks, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 1

Sources +

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)