Blackburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Blackburn is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the town of Blackburn in the county of Lancashire. This place-name is derived from the Old English word burn, meaning stream, and referred to a stream in a dark area, or where the water was muddy. [1]

Early Origins of the Blackburn family

The surname Blackburn was first found in Lancashire at Blackburn, a parish, and the head of a union, in the Lower division of the hundred of Blackburn. “This place takes its name from a small rivulet near the town, which, from the turbid state of the water, was anciently called Blakeburn, or “the yellow bourne.” A castle is said to have been built here, probably by the Romans, which, after their departure from the island, was occupied successively by the Britons and the Saxons; but there are no vestiges of it, nor can even its site be distinctly ascertained. Blackburn was formerly the capital of a district called Blackburnshire.” [2]

The earliest record of the family was Henry de Blackeburn who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1206. [3]

Early records of one branch of the family were found in Garston, Lancashire. “Robert de Blackburn held Garston for nearly forty years, dying about the year 1354; his wife Ellen is mentioned in 1332. He acquired various portions of land from the minor owners. Robert de Blackburn was succeeded by his eldest son John, who even before his father’s death seems to have taken an active part in managing the estate. (fn. 35) He was lord of the manor for about fifty years, dying on 8 January, 1404-5, and during this long period seems to have been constantly acquiring fresh portions of land.” [4]

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Willelmus de Blakburn; Cristoforus de Blakeburn; and Johannes de Blakburn. A few years later, John de Blakeburne was listed in the Preston Guild Rolls of 1397. [5]

Further to the north in Scotland, the name was derived from “one or other of several small places so named. Willelmus de Blakeburne was witness in 1243 to the ratification of the gift of the church of Lescelyn to Lundors. Robert de Blakeburne of Berwickshire rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]. William de Blakburne appears as Abbot of Cambuskenneth, 1394. [6]

Early History of the Blackburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blackburn research.

Blackburn Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person’s name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Blackburn family name include Blackburn, Blackbyrn, Blackbirn, Blackburne, Blackborn, Blagburn, Blackbyrne and many more.

Early Notables of the Blackburn family (pre 1700)

Distinguished members of the family include Lancelot Blackburne (sometimes Blackburn or Blackbourne), (1658-1743), an English clergyman, who became Archbishop of York, and some believe to have been a pirate. He was the son of Richard Blackburne of London, whom the archbishop claimed to have been connected with the Blackburnes of Marricke Abbey. “Archbishop Blackburne was gay and witty. His enemies repeated the story that he acted as chaplain on board one of the ships engaged in buccaneering.

Blackburn World Ranking

In the United States, the name Blackburn is the 730^th most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. [7] However, in Canada, the name Blackburn is ranked the 784^thmost popular surname with an estimated 6,864 people with that name. [8] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Blackburn is the 481^st popular surname. [9] Australia ranks Blackburn as 886^th with 4,441 people. [10] New Zealand ranks Blackburn as 702^nd with 1,012 people. [11] The United Kingdom ranks Blackburn as 469^th with 13,867 people. [12]

 Blackburn migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Blackburn surname or a spelling variation of the name include : 

Blackburn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• James Blackburn, who settled in Virginia in 1624
• Daniel Blackburn who settled in Virginia in the year 1640
• Samuel Blackburn, who arrived in Maryland in 1660 [13]
• Robert Blackburn, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 [13]

Blackburn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Andrew Blackburn, who arrived in Georgia in 1751 [13]
• Richard Blackburn, who arrived in Virginia in 1757 [13]
• Benjamin Blackburn, who arrived in Bermuda in 1774 [13]
• Eleanor Wardrobe Blackburn, who landed in Virginia in 1785 [13]

Blackburn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Robert Blackburn, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1816 [13]
• Thomas Blackburn, who landed in New York in 1846 [13]
• W Blackburn, who landed in San Francisca, California in 1851 [13]
• D Blackburn, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [13]
• Mr. Blackburn, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851