Bladen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Bladen comes from when the family resided in Bladon, a parish, in the union of Woodstock, hundred of Wootton, in Oxfordshire. 1 2

Early Origins of the Bladen family

The surname Bladen was first found in Oxfordshire, where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included some of the first records of the family. Walter de Bladone, Agnes de Bladene and Hugh de Bladene were all listed in the rolls as holding lands there at that time. 3

Early History of the Bladen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bladen research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1665, 1680, 1696, 1697, 1698, 1742, 1746, 1747 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Bladen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bladen Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Bladen include Bladen, Bladon and others.

Early Notables of the Bladen family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Colonel Bladen, Lord Justice of Ireland; and Sir Thomas Bladen (1698-1780), American politician and the 19th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1742 to 1747
Martin Bladen (1680-1746), was an English soldier and politician, the son of Nathaniel Bladen of Hemsworth, Yorkshire. "He is said to have passed a short time at a small private school in the country...

Migration of the Bladen family to Ireland

Some of the Bladen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bladen migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Bladen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Bladen, aged 45, who arrived in Maryland in 1714 4
William Bladen who was Commissary-General of Maryland in 1718
Thomas Bladen, Royal Governor of Maryland, 1742-1745
William Bladen who settled in Virginia in 1774

Bladen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Isaac N Bladen, who landed in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1840 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bladen (post 1700) +

Martin Bladen, American member of the Board of Trade in the eponymous Bladen County, North Carolina in 1734
Ronald Bladen (1918-1988), Canadian-born, American sculptor
Peter Bladen (1922-2001), Australian poet from Perth
Vincent Wheeler Bladen (1900-1981), Canadian economist and academic, Chairman of the Royal Commission on the Automotive Industry (1960) which created the Auto Pact (APTA)
Frank Murcott Bladen (1858-1912), Australian librarian and historian born in England
Admiral Sir Thomas Bladen Capel GCB, RN (1776-1853), English officer in the British Royal Navy, a great friend of Admiral Nelson and considered one of Nelson's "band of brothers"
Lord Martin Bladen Hawke (1860-1938), English cricketer and administrator, 7th Baron Hawke of Towton, county Yorkshire
Bladen Wilmer Hawke (1901-1985), British politician, 9th Baron Hawke

The Bladen Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Toujours fidele
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
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)