Blakrie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the name Blakrie dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a fabric bleacher having derived from the Old English word blaecan which literally means to bleach. The first record of the name was with the spelling Blakere in Norfolk in 1047-64, 1 pre-Domesday Book which is quite rare.

Early Origins of the Blakrie family

The surname Blakrie was first found in Somerset. The name was also a baptismal name as in 'the son of Blacre' or as Blacar which were listed in the Domesday Book. 2 Notwithstanding the claim by the Irish branch of the family that they are descended from Blacar, a Norse chieftain who settled in Dublin, Ireland, sometime around the tenth century, there is no hard evidence of this relationship, and it is unlikely that such a family would have moved northward to Armagh. The Cartularium Abbathiae de Whiteby, Ordinis S. Benedicti has three listings of the name from the 12th century: Richard filius Blacker; Baldwin filius Blacker; and Walterus filius Godfridi filius Blacker. 3

Early History of the Blakrie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blakrie research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1312, 1630, 1657, 1659, 1660 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Blakrie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakrie Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Blakrie has undergone many spelling variations, including Blacker, Blacre, Blackers, Blaker, Blackre, Blacar, Blaiker, Blackar, Blackire and many more.

Early Notables of the Blakrie family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blakrie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blakrie family to Ireland

Some of the Blakrie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blakrie family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Blakrie were among those contributors: Patrick Blacker settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850; Susan Blacker settled in New York State in 1853.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)