Show ContentsBlakeley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Blakeley Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Blakeley

What does the name Blakeley mean?

The name Blakeley dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Blæcleah which meant "dark wood" or "dark clearing". The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book and little growth of the community was seen until the 19th century. By the middle of the 17th century Blackley was a village of just 107 inhabitants. Today Blackley is a suburb of Manchester with a population of over 10,000 people. There is also a hamlet named Blackey in West Yorkshire.

The Blackledge variant is interesting. It was derived from Black-lake, which evolved into Blackleach. "Probably the spot mentioned in a charter c. 1200 connected with property in Wilmslow parish, East Cheshire, from which district the name in most cases is undoubtedly sprung. " 1

The Blickling name comes from Blickling, Norfolk which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it is listed as Blikelinges 2 and literally meant "settlement of a family of a man called Blicia." 3

Early Origins and Etymology of Blakeley

The surname Blakeley was first found in Lancashire at Blackley, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Manchester, hundred of Salford. 4 The first record of this chapelry was in 1282 when it was known as Blakeley and literally meant "dark wood or clearing," for the Old English "blaec" + "leah." 3

Today Blakesley Hall is a Tudor hall on Blakesley Road in Yardley, Birmingham, England. Originally a timber-framed farmhouse, it was built in 1590.

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Adam de Blakeneye, alias Adam de Blakeleye, London was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. In Cheshire, the Wills at Chester included: Jane Blakeley, of Bury, widow; and Ralph Blakeley, of Bury. 1 John Blakelache was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 5

Nicholas de Blykelyng was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire (1348-1349.) 5

Much further to the north in Scotland, the first record was of Radulphus Blackley who was juror on inquest at Berwick, 1321. 6

Early History of the Blakeley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blakeley research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1321, 1473, 1587, 1601, 1615, 1662 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blakeley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakeley Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Blakeley include Blackley, Blakely, Blakley, Blacklee, Blackely, Blackledge, Blacklege, Blatchly and many more.

Early Notables of the Blakeley family

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

Blakeley Ranking

the United States, the name Blakeley is the 12,680th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Blakeley family to Ireland

Some of the Blakeley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakeley migration to Canada +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blakeley or a variant listed above:

Blakeley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Chambers Blakeley, "Blakely" U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8
  • Mr. James Blakeley U.E. who settled in Prince Edward County, Ontario c. 1783 8
  • Mrs. Margaret Blakeley U.E. (née Flynn) who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 8
Blakeley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John, Blakeley Jr., who arrived in Canada in 1833


Blakeley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Benjamin Blakeley, who landed in Maryland in 1664 9
Blakeley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • W G Blakeley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 9
Blakeley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Blakeley, English convict who was convicted in Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Emma Blakeley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 11
  • Sarah Ann Blakeley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 11
  • Mr. John Blakeley, (b. 1815), aged 25, Irish quarry man who was convicted in Armagh, Ireland for life for murder, transported aboard the "British Sovereign" on 16th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
  • Ziliah Blakeley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Blakeley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Blakeley, (b. 1838), aged 23, Irish labourer, from Antrim travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 14
  • Mrs. Catherine Blakeley, (b. 1841), aged 20, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 14
  • Mr. William Blakeley, (b. 1860), aged 1, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 14
  • Mr. William John Blakeley, (b. 1819), aged 44, Irish labourer, from County Down travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st May 1863 14
  • Mrs. Mary Blakeley, (b. 1820), aged 43, Irish settler, from County Down travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st May 1863 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Blakeley (post 1700) +

  • Phyllis Ruth Blakeley CM (1922-1986), Canadian historian, biographer and archivist from Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • William Blakeley (1830-1897), English actor
  • Grace Blakeley (b. 1993), is an English economics and politics commentator, columnist, journalist and author
  • Paul Malcolm Blakeley (b. 1964), former English cricketer
  • Steve Blakeley, English former professional rugby league footballer
  • Philip William Blakeley CBE (1915-1994), New Zealand electrical engineer and engineering administrator
  • Steven Blakeley (b. 1982), British actor, best known for his role as PC Geoff Younger in the British police drama Heartbeat
  • Robert Wilson Blakeley (1922-2017), American graphic designer, best known for making the fallout shelter sign
  • Richard Lee Blakeley (1971-2017), British opera and theatre director
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. 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)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  9. 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)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIR CHARLES FORBES (originally Charles Forbes) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839SirCharlesForbes.htm
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/british-sovereign
  13. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FORFARSHIRE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Forfarshire.htm
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html

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