Origin: |
As a given name, Blaise is the French form of the Roman cognomen Blaesus which meant "lisping" in Latin. Cognomens made up the third part of Roman names and were originally descriptive nicknames given to a progenitor of the gens which eventually became hereditary. Blaesus "lisping" would have described the original head of the family, much like other cognomens (Ahenobarbus = bronze beard; Balbus = stammerer; Claudius = lame; Brutus = heavy; Celsus = tall; Blandus = charming; Rufus = red haired) once described the physical attributes of an ancestor. One of the first known to bear the name was Quintus Junius Blaesus (d.31 AD) who was the first of his family to enter the Roman nobility and became proconsul of Africa. As a surname, Blaise derives from the Old English blæse "a torch, flame, firebrand, lamp," itself from the Proto-Germanic *blas- "shining, white." It is from this route that we get the modern in English noun and verb blaze referring to something brightly burning. |
Usage: |
The Late Latin form of Blaesus, Blasius was borne by three early Christian saints, most commonly referred to now by the French form Blaise:
The former is the most famous and most widely venerated. He was both a physician and bishop of Sebastea in Armenia. It is said he healed both people and animals, and when he was arrested for his faith, legend has it that on the way to prison he cured a child choking on a fish bone. For these reasons he is now considered the patron of wild animals, veterinarians, throats and choking. Thanks to his association with healing, St Blaise's cult was widespread across Europe by the 12th century. In the 14th century, during the Black Death, St Blaise became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, invoked for his help in healing a sore throat. Veneration in Britain occurs from the early 13th century, with various churches around the country was dedicated to the saint. St Blazey in Cornwall is a variation of the name. The name Blaise was also connected to Arthurian legend. Sir Blaes was one of the Twenty-Four Knights of King Arthur's Court who was dedicated to preserving justice. In Robert de Boron's 12th century prose Merlin, Blaise is a mentor and foster-father to Merlin. Despite this veneration, Blaise was little used as a given name in Britain the Middle Ages. It was more common as the surname, which was in use since at least the 13th century. In France however, the name was more common, especially for Catholic families. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French philosopher and mathematician is one of France's most notable scientists. By the 16th century, we find more and more examples of Blaise used in baptisms in England and Scotland, especially in areas such as Lincoln, Yorkshire and Perth where there was a dominant wool trade. By the 18th century, St Blaise was firmly and widely considered the patron of the wool trade in Britain. Popular belief held that Blaise came from Jersey and it was he who taught the British how to comb wool. This legend, in part, arose because the symbolic iron combs used to torture Blaise resembled those which were used to comb wool. His association with Jersey is thought to be a conflation of the legend of St Blaise of Sebastea with St Blaise of Caesarea who was known to be a shepherd. Caesarea was also the Latin name for Jersey. By the 19th century, most likely with the decline in the traditional wool industry, Blaise became rare in Britain: it was only registered 7 times in England and Wales between 1838-1920. Perhaps because of its separate surname routes, Blaise has had some use as a girls' name from the 20th century, and though Blaise is still more common for boys, it maintains some feminine use. Since 1996, Blaise has never been in the top 1000, though it has been given to between 10 and 20 boys in every year since 2001. It peaked in 2008 at #1294 (18 births).The spellings Blaise, Blaize and Blaze all rank consistently for both boys and girls (see right). In 2014, Blaise ranked #1486 (16 births) for boys and #4684 (4 births) for girls. In Scotland Blaise has not been registered for more than one boy or girl in any given year since 1987. In 2014, Blaise was registered once (#1534) on a baby girl. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Saint Blaise of Sebastea (d.c.316), physician and bishop of Sebastea. Contemporary: * Blaise Alexander (b.1976), American race car driver. Literature and Other Media: * Blaise, foster-father of Merlin in Arthurian legend from the 12th century onwards. |
Variants: |
Blaize, Blase, Blaze; Blas (Spanish), Biagio, Biaggio (Italian), Blažej (Czech, Polish), Bras (Portuguese), Vlasis (Greek), Vlasi (Russian) |
Pronunciation: |
BLAYZ [key] |
Possible longer forms: |
Balthazar, Bartholomeus |
Sibling Names: |
Delphine Lelia Inez Fleur Sabina Juniper |
Name Lists: |
Saintly and Stylish Short and Sweet Names from Tennyson Harry Potter Names |
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Thanks to Alice for requesting this post.