Blaise History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Germany

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 Blaise family

The surname Blaise 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 Blaise family

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

Blaise Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by 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 Blaise 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 Blaise family

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

Blaise Ranking

In the United States, the name Blaise is the 15,917^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Blaise is ranked the 535^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,594 people with that name. 3

Blaise migration to the United States +

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Blaise has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Blaise were

Blaise Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lrig Blaise, aged 35, who arrived in New Orleans La in 1826 4

Blaise migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Germain Blaise, son of Jean and Jeanne, who married Marie-Angélique Daudelin, daughter of Pierre and Marguerite, in Verchères, Quebec on 26th January 1761 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Blaise (post 1700) +

Luna Blaise (b. 2001), American actress and singer, and is best known for her role as Olive Stone in NBC's Manifest
Kerlin Blaise (b. 1974), former American football guard who with the Detroit Lions from 1998 to 2003
Clark Blaise OC (b. 1940), American-born, Canadian author, perhaps best known for his 1979 novel, Lunar Attractions, winner of the 1980 Books in Canada First Novel Award
Pierre-Marc Blaise (1952-1955), French film actor who was killed in a car accident in 1975
Marie-Joseph Blaise de Chénier (1764-1811), French poet, dramatist and politician
Serge Moléon Blaise (b. 1951), Haitian painter, brother of Fabolon and Saint-Louis Blaise
Fabolon Blaise (1959-1985), Haitian painter
Tara Blaise (b. 1975), Irish singer
Saint-Louis Blaise (1956-1995), Haitian painter
Saint Blaise, Armenian physician and bishop of Sebaste (Sivas)

Citations +

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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.