Blacke in my family tree
1: English and Scots: from Middle English blak(e) black (Old English blœc), a nickname given from the earliest times to a swarthy or dark-haired man. The nickname may have been given for other reasons too: [Tengvik, 1938] records the case (1080) of a certain Wlfricus Niger Wulfric the Black, who received the nickname after blackening his face with charcoal to go undetected at night among his enemies. 2: English and Scots: from Old English blac pale, fair, i.e. precisely the opposite meaning to 1, and a variant of Blake. Blake and Black are found more or less interchangeably in many surnames and placename elements. 3: English: variant of Blanc as a Norman name. The pronunciation of the nasalized vowel gave considerable difficulty to English speakers, and its quality was often ignored. 4: Scots and Irish: translation of various names from Erse and Gaelic dubh black. 5: Jewish: translation of various names meaning black, for example Schwarz.
Variants: Blacke; Blackman, Blackmon, Blakeman; Blagg; Bleach;
Diminutives: Blackett, Blackie.
Tengvik 1938
Old English Bynames
Uppsala
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