Blackburn Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Blackburn last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Blackburn last name
Meaning of the Blackburn last name: dark stream. The Blackburn surname comes from Blackburn in Lancashire and other places of the name, meaning "dark stream". The last name is most common in Lancashire, Yorkshire and southern Scotland, and emigrants took it to Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky. A curious detail of this family name meaning: the dark water was probably peaty, coloured by the moorland it flowed from.
Arms associated with the Blackburn name
In English heraldry gold stood for generosity and blue for loyalty, and coats of arms associated with the Blackburn name speak that old language of colour.
Get your full Blackburn family history
This is only a glimpse of the Blackburn story. The full Blackburn history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Blackburn coat of arms. Get the full Blackburn report.
Blackburn name FAQ
What does the Blackburn name mean?
Dark stream. Common variants include Blackburne, Blackborn, Blackbourne.
Where does the Blackburn surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and Australia.
Is there a Blackburn coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Blackburn coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).