blake

Blake is a surname or a given name which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory is that it is a corruption of "Ap Lake", meaning "Son of Lake". Blake was the name of one of the 14 Tribes of Galway in Ireland. These Blakes were descendants of Richard Caddell, alias Blake, who was involved in the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169. As such a long present foreign name it became known as de Bláca in Irish. The origins of the name Blake are also considered to be Old Norse, first appearing in Yorkshire, England, possibly derived from the word Blaker, referring to a village and a former municipality of Akershus county, Norway (east of Oslo). "Blake", also means strong or bold. The Blake surname is first recorded in the latter half of the 12th Century, making it one of the earliest on record, whilst later interesting examples of the name recordings taken from the 'Dictionary of National Biography' include the famous Admiral Robert Blake, 1599 - 1657, who destroyed the Spanish Fleet at Santa Cruz, and died on the way home, and Francis Blake, who earlier in 1635 had embarked from London on the ship "George" bound for Virginia. He is believed to have been the first of the many Blake's to colonize New Englan