NameCensus.

UK surname

Blane

A surname derived from a Norman French place name, possibly meaning "yellow-haired" or originating from the French word "blain" meaning a type of wheat.

In the 1881 census there were 578 people recorded with the Blane surname, ranking it #6,027 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 624, ranked #8,450, down from #6,027 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Straiton and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Aylesbury Vale, West Lancashire and Carrick North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Blane is 627 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.0%.

1881 census count

578

Ranked #6,027

Modern count

624

2016, ranked #8,450

Peak year

2014

627 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Blane had 578 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,027 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 624 in 2016, ranked #8,450.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 601 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Blane surname distribution map

The map shows where the Blane surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Blane surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Blane over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 390 #6,155
1861 historical 520 #5,038
1881 historical 578 #6,027
1891 historical 601 #6,375
1901 historical 561 #7,427
1911 historical 346 #10,341
1997 modern 570 #8,442
1998 modern 606 #8,329
1999 modern 601 #8,430
2000 modern 600 #8,426
2001 modern 581 #8,469
2002 modern 572 #8,723
2003 modern 555 #8,783
2004 modern 570 #8,643
2005 modern 575 #8,523
2006 modern 568 #8,626
2007 modern 572 #8,657
2008 modern 546 #9,023
2009 modern 569 #8,929
2010 modern 591 #8,884
2011 modern 600 #8,696
2012 modern 599 #8,618
2013 modern 616 #8,567
2014 modern 627 #8,500
2015 modern 622 #8,481
2016 modern 624 #8,450

Geography

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Where Blanes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Straiton, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and St John Hackney. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Aylesbury Vale, West Lancashire, Carrick North and Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Straiton Ayr
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 St John Hackney London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Aylesbury Vale 004 Aylesbury Vale
2 Aylesbury Vale 023 Aylesbury Vale
3 West Lancashire 002 West Lancashire
4 Carrick North South Ayrshire
5 Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South South Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Blane

These lists show first names that appear often with the Blane surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Blane

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Blane, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Blane surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Blane household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Blane is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Blane is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Blane falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Blane is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Blane, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Blane

The surname Blane is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "blan" or "blain," which can refer to either a field, a meadow, or a white/pale complexion. This suggests that the name may have been originally used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived near a field or had a pale complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blane can be found in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls from the late 13th century. In this record, a man named Robert Blane from Ayrshire is mentioned as having sworn fealty to King Edward I of England in 1296.

The name Blane is also linked to the Scottish town of Blanefield, located in West Dunbartonshire. It is believed that the town's name may have been derived from the surname Blane, suggesting that a family bearing this name may have held land or influence in the area during the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Blane was Gilbert Blane, a Scottish writer and poet who lived from around 1516 to 1590. He is known for his work "Blane's Prophecy," a poetic work that predicted the downfall of the Clan Gregor, a once-powerful Scottish clan.

Another prominent individual with the surname Blane was Sir Gilbert Blane, a Scottish physician and medical writer who lived from 1749 to 1834. He was known for his work on improving the health and living conditions of sailors in the British Royal Navy, and he served as the Physician to the Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars.

In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Blane was William Blane, a Scottish architect who lived from 1825 to 1899. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the former Glasgow Stock Exchange and the Blane Memorial Church, which was named in his honor.

The surname Blane has also been connected to other place names in Scotland, such as the village of Blane Muir in Stirlingshire and the Blane Water, a river that flows through the central Scottish Lowlands.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Blane families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Blane surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Ayrshire leads with 166 Blanes recorded in 1881 and an index of 39.34x.

County Total Index
Ayrshire 166 39.34x
Lanarkshire 68 3.73x
Middlesex 63 1.12x
Lancashire 51 0.76x
Cheshire 47 3.78x
Midlothian 18 2.38x
Yorkshire 18 0.32x
Surrey 17 0.62x
Berkshire 13 3.07x
Stirlingshire 13 6.25x
Kent 11 0.57x
Renfrewshire 9 2.06x
Buckinghamshire 8 2.35x
Angus 6 1.15x
Cambridgeshire 6 1.68x
Hampshire 6 0.52x
Northamptonshire 6 1.13x
Northumberland 6 0.72x
Flintshire 5 3.30x
Bedfordshire 4 1.37x
Cumberland 4 0.82x
East Lothian 4 5.36x
Essex 4 0.36x
Hertfordshire 4 1.03x
Dunbartonshire 3 1.98x
Staffordshire 3 0.16x
Sussex 3 0.32x
Argyllshire 2 1.27x
Fife 2 0.60x
Channel Islands 1 0.60x
Clackmannanshire 1 2.15x
Glamorgan 1 0.10x
Lincolnshire 1 0.11x
Norfolk 1 0.12x
Perthshire 1 0.40x
Somerset 1 0.11x
Warwickshire 1 0.07x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Straiton in Ayrshire leads with 28 Blanes recorded in 1881 and an index of 1166.67x.

Place Total Index
Straiton 28 1166.67x
Govan 21 4.66x
Newton On Ayr 18 142.41x
Barony 16 3.47x
Witton Cum Twambrooks 16 144.40x
Ayr 14 70.28x
Girvan 14 132.20x
Falkirk 13 26.71x
Glasgow 12 3.71x
St Quivox 12 84.09x
Galston 11 95.32x
Sorn 11 132.69x
Dalrymple 10 378.79x
Bow London 9 12.54x
Islington London 9 1.65x
Newington 9 4.32x
Birkenhead 8 8.06x
Long Crendon 8 350.88x
Pennington In Leigh 8 62.31x
Southcoates 8 25.79x
St Pancras London 8 1.76x
Edinburgh St Stephens 7 47.07x
Hackney London 7 2.21x
Lewisham 7 6.82x
Coylton 6 100.17x
Dreghorn 6 78.53x
Dundee 6 3.08x
Haslingfield 6 410.96x
Irvine 6 51.19x
Kilmaurs 6 83.57x
New Windsor 6 42.16x
Northampton Priory St 6 18.86x
Old Monkland 6 8.29x
Bothwell 5 10.11x
Clewer 5 28.84x
Crumpsall 5 31.71x
Hartford 5 177.31x
Kilwinning 5 36.68x
Lymm 5 55.25x
North Seaton 5 142.05x
Northop 5 93.11x
Rusholme 5 28.03x
Shoreditch London 5 2.05x
Symington 5 370.37x
Berwick North 4 76.48x
Bethnal Green London 4 1.63x
Biggleswade 4 41.84x
Cleator 4 19.79x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 4 22.38x
Layton With Warbreck 4 16.29x
Paisley High Church 4 11.50x
Paisley Low Church 4 28.92x
Preston 4 2.23x
Speke 4 404.04x
Stewarton 4 47.90x
Burley 3 243.90x
Camberwell 3 0.83x
Dalserf 3 16.48x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 3 0.99x
Everton 3 1.41x
Gorton 3 4.77x
Leyton Low 3 13.26x
Middlesbrough 3 4.12x
Old Kilpatrick 3 16.76x
Salford 3 1.52x
Shettleston 3 18.37x
South Leith 3 3.53x
Wandsworth 3 5.53x
West Derby 3 1.53x
Westminster St James 3 5.18x
Alkrington 2 273.97x
Brighton 2 1.04x
Clerkenwell London 2 1.50x
Dundonald 2 12.85x
Halewood 2 55.87x
Sheffield 2 1.12x
Stoke Newington London 2 4.55x
Wakefield 2 4.66x
Westminster St Margaret 2 7.35x
Winkfield 2 28.49x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Blane surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 26
Sarah 15
Jane 9
Emily 6
Ann 5
Annie 4
Eliza 4
Emma 4
Isabella 4
Agnes 3
Alice 3
Amelia 3
Catherine 3
Edith 3
Elizabeth 3
Hannah 3
Margaret 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Caroline 2
Esther 2
Fanny 2
Frances 2
Harriet 2
Janet 2
Jessie 2
Lizzie 2
Louisa 2
Selina 2
Susan 2
Bessie 1
Betsy 1
Blanch 1
Catharine 1
Eleanor 1
Elizth. 1
Elsie 1
Elys 1
Felicite 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Gertrude 1
Goa 1
Harrieta 1
Hortense 1
Jessy 1
Josephine 1
Mable 1
Marion 1
Zillah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Blane surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 12
James 11
George 9
Thomas 9
Henry 8
Joseph 8
Charles 6
William 6
Samuel 5
Walter 4
Arthur 3
Gilbert 3
Robert 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Alexdr. 2
Alfred 2
Andrew 2
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Stephen 2
Abraham 1
Anthony 1
Archibald 1
August 1
Charley 1
Douglas 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Harry 1
Henrie 1
Herbert 1
Lewes 1
Richard 1
Saml. 1
Seymour 1
Sidney 1
Wm.Thos. 1

FAQ

Blane surname: questions and answers

How common was the Blane surname in 1881?

In 1881, 578 people were recorded with the Blane surname. That placed it at #6,027 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Blane surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 624 in 2016. That gives Blane a modern rank of #8,450.

What does the Blane surname mean?

A surname derived from a Norman French place name, possibly meaning "yellow-haired" or originating from the French word "blain" meaning a type of wheat.

What does the Blane map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Blane bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.