Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Blagburn Surname

Good Evening!

It's a bit late to be blogging right now but I felt like I needed to do a bit of research. I do like my last name and I am intrigued to know of its origin and significance. It is a compound surname and a variation of the English name "Blackburn." Just for kicks, let's examine it more in depth. Here are a few definitions:

Blag - A phonetic derivative of the word "Black," as in the color of coal, ravens, night, or outer space. To blag may also mean to gain access into a private club or party. Lord knows I've tried that!

Burn - Burn refers to an Old-English word for a river. To burn may also mean to combust or to light on fire. I tend to not light things on fire though. :-)

Ideally, a "blagburn" refers to a peaceful river reflecting dim light on a typical British afternoon.

It is also interesting to note that, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the same root relative for black produced the word bleach as well... This may be "perhaps because both black and white are colorless, or because both are associated with burning. The noun meaning "a bleaching agent" is recorded from 1898."

The Blagburn surname has been around since the late-1600s and I hope it continues to do so.

Samuel

1 comment:

  1. When we were kids, I thought it was Blackburn. Actually, I think I thought that up until last year.

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