BLACKBURNE

Origin and etymology In historic texts In the 1881 census Distribution map

Blackburne

Blackburne is an English surname of locational origin, derived from the Old English words "blaec" and "burna," meaning "stream with dark water." The name may have originally been given to someone who lived near a stream with dark or murky water.

The Blackburne surname is most commonly found in the counties of Lancashire and West Yorkshire in northern England, where the name is associated with various localities named Blackburn. These include the town of Blackburn in Lancashire, which was once a major centre for textiles during the Industrial Revolution.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Blackburne include Hugh Blackburne, an English classical scholar and headmaster of King Edward VI School in Birmingham in the 19th century, and Joseph Blackburne, a prominent British chess player in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Variants of the name Blackburne include Blackbourne and Blackbourn. The surname Blackburne has ancient roots in England and continues to be borne by families with connections to the historic counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

There are approximately 340 people named Blackburne in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Blackburne.

Typical given names associated with the surname

Male

Adam
Andrew
Benjamin
Colin
Colm
David
Hugh
John
Kenneth
Mark
Michael
Neil
Peter
William

Female

Alison
Amanda
Elaine
Elizabeth
Emma
Gillian
Jane
Joanne
June
Patricia

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.