Where does the last name blair origanate from is it english?

Question

Where does the last name blair origanate from is it english?

Answer 1

Surname: Blair

Recorded as de Blare, Blare, Blayr, and the more popular Blair, this famous Scottish surname is locational. It probably originates from Blair House in Ayrshire, although the area of Mount Blair in the former county of Forfarshire in the far North East is also a possibility, as are the various Blair villages in Perthshire and Dunfermline. In all cases the derivation is from the pre 9th century Gaelic word "blar", meaning a field or plain but more specifically a battlefield! The surname is well recorded in the records of Scotland from the early 13th century with examples including Brice de Blar and Alexander del Blair who witnessed an agreement between the burgh of Irvine and Brice de Eglunstone in 1205. The the recording of one William of Blare who witnessed a charter by Malcolm, seventh Earl of Fife, is probably Sir William de Blar, the seneschal of Fife, recorded in 1235. Thomas of Blayr, given as being a merchant of Rodyok, had a safe conduct pass to travel to England in 1460. The surname is also very numerous in the province of Ulster, Ireland. Among the many recordings of the surname from in the early surviving church registers is that of the marriage of Bryce Blair and Jonet Mowatt on April 1st 1669, at Edinburgh, Midlothian. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Stephen de Blare, which was dated 1204 - 1211, a charter witness, during the reign of King William "The Lion" of Scotland, 1165 - 1214.

Answer 2

it sounds like an english name to me, either that scottish

good luck

Answer 3

Scottish and northern Irish: habitational name from any of the numerous places in Scotland called Blair, named with Scottish Gaelic blàr (genitive blàir) ‘plain’, ‘field’, especially a battlefield (Irish blár).

Answer 4

English and Welch

Answer 5

"Blair" comes from a Scottish Gaelic word meaning "plain" or "field".  The 1891 Scottish Census notes that 39 percent of those with the surname of Blair lived in Lanarkshire, 11 percent lived Ayrshire, 18 percent lived in Renfrewshire, 4 percent lived in East Lothian, and 8 percent lived in Angus.

As for Blairs living in England in 1891, 20 percent lived in Lancastershire, 17 percent lived in Durham, 13 percent lived in Northumberland, and 11 percent lived in London.  

The Port Authority for New York lists the following Ports of Entry for those with the Blair surname:

Scotland 347

Ireland 279

England 158

Great Britain 84

Germany 11

Italy 10

Although each family with the Blair surname needs to trace its own ancestry, the name, for the most part, seems to originated in Lowland Scotland.  Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, incidentally, was born in Edinburgh.  His dad, Leo, was the adopted son of a Glasgow ship worker, James Blair, and his wife Mary.  Glasgow, of course, is in Lanarkshire.

Answer 6

It looks like we are all hitting the same sites again, but here's what I found for you anyway.

Surname: Blair

Recorded as de Blare, Blare, Blayr, and the more popular Blair, this famous Scottish surname is locational. It probably originates from Blair House in Ayrshire, although the area of Mount Blair in the former county of Forfarshire in the far North East is also a possibility, as are the various Blair villages in Perthshire and Dunfermline. In all cases the derivation is from the pre 9th century Gaelic word "blar", meaning a field or plain but more specifically a battlefield! The surname is well recorded in the records of Scotland from the early 13th century with examples including Brice de Blar and Alexander del Blair who witnessed an agreement between the burgh of Irvine and Brice de Eglunstone in 1205. The the recording of one William of Blare who witnessed a charter by Malcolm, seventh Earl of Fife, is probably Sir William de Blar, the seneschal of Fife, recorded in 1235. Thomas of Blayr, given as being a merchant of Rodyok, had a safe conduct pass to travel to England in 1460. The surname is also very numerous in the province of Ulster, Ireland. Among the many recordings of the surname from in the early surviving church registers is that of the marriage of Bryce Blair and Jonet Mowatt on April 1st 1669, at Edinburgh, Midlothian. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Stephen de Blare, which was dated 1204 - 1211, a charter witness, during the reign of King William "The Lion" of Scotland, 1165 - 1214. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Hope this helps.