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From: "Bill Williams" <>
Subject: [BlackSheep-L] Black
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 17:03:04 -0000


Septs of Clan MacLean: Black

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It should be noted that Black is a common name with multiple origins. There
are many families with this name of various ethnic backgrounds that have no
connection to the clan.

It would apear that those Blacks that are associated with Clan MacLean are
Douies/Huies who's name has been Englished. These lived mostly in Gometra
and Lismore

See Also Douie/Huie

Spelling Variants

Black, Blacke, Blackie, Blacky,
Blaick, Blaicke, Blaickie, Blaicky,
Blaik, Blaike, Blaikie, Blaiky, Blayk,
Blac, Blak, Blake,
Blaec, Blaecca,
Niger

Derivation

>From the Gealic Mac Ghille dhuibh, Gaelic for "Son of the dark lad"
also
>From Dubh, Gaelic for "Black"
or
>From Blaecca, an Old English personal name.

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Black's Surmames of Scotland

The following are quotes from
The Surnames of Scotland:
Their Origin, Meaning, and History
By George F. Black, Ph.D.
New York, New York Public Library; 1946

BLACK.
"A grat difficulty with the Black names," says Harrison, "is the
impossibility in many cases of deciding whether the etymon is the OE. blæc,
blac, 'black,' or the OE. blác, 'bright,' 'white,' 'pale.' Normally blæc,
blac, yeilds 'black,' and blác, should give 'blake' (or 'bloke'); but the
forms are inextricably confused, and the present spelling is often no guide
to the pronunciation past or present." Blaecca is a well-known OE. personal
name, and Beda says (H.E., II, 16) that the baptism of Blaecca, prefect of
the city of Lincoln, and his whole household was the first fruits of the
preaching of Paulinus, A.D. 628. In early Scots Latin charters the name is
rendered Niger. Hugh Niger appears as a charter witness in Angus in 1178
(RAA., I, p. 9), and Radulfus niger, deacon of Lothian, was a charter
witness in Fife between 1200-1210 (LAC., p. 131; LSC., p. 38). Robertus
Niger, burgess of Elgin, witnessed a composition between Simon, bishop of
Moray and Freskyn de Maravia, lord of Duffus, in 1248 (REM., p.114), Adam
the Black was one of the jurors on an inquisition held at Lanark in 1303
(Bain, II, 1420), Thomas Blak, a Scots prisoner of war in the Tower of
London, was released in 1353 (Bain, III, 1568), another Thomas Blak was
tenant of Rahil in 1376 (RHM., I, p. 1viii), and Laurencius Blac was juror
at a court held at "Le Ballocis Hill" near Inverness in 1376-7 (Innes
Familie, p. 63). Thomas Blac was a witness in 1463 (Lennox, II, p. 78), and
James Blak and William Blake appear as jurors on an inquest in Lanark in
1498 (Lanark, p. 9). The surname was common in St. Andrews and in Prestwick
in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and very common in Edinburgh in
the seventeenth century. The Clan Lamont Society claims that Blacks were
originally Lamonts who changed their name. William Black, the novelist,
traced his pedigree to the branch of Clan Lamont who were driven from Lamont
territory under a leader called the Black Preist. The surname is also used
as an Englishing if Macilduy and Macildowie(G. M'Ille dhuibh or Mac Gille
dhuibh, 'son of the black lad'). In Argyllshire it is a translation of Huie,
which itself is a much curtailed form of Mac Gille dhuibh. Members of the
old family of Black of Wateridgemuir, Logie-Buchan, have been burgesses of
Aberdeen for at least four hundred and fifty years. Blacke 1682, Blaick
1647, Blayk 1363. See also Blake.

BLACKIE.
Diminutive of Black, q.v. Payment to John Blakye in Clony is recorded in
1506 (Rent. Dunk., p. 160), William Blakye was dompnus in Newbattle Abey,
1528 (Neubotle, p. 284), and another William Blakie or Blakyie appears in
1547 and 1566 as inhabitant of Leith (Soltre, p. 122, 126). Sir William
Blaky was chaplain in Perth, 1545 (Rollok, 33). Andrew Blakie was aid in the
Court kitchen, 1589 (ER., XXII, p. 32), David Blakie was burgess of Lanark,
1590 (RPC., IV, p. 525). The surname was common in the seventeenth century
(Edinb. Marr). Professor John Stuart Blackie (1809-1895) was the best known
of the name. Probably confused with BLAIKIE. Blaky 1527.

MACBLACKIE.
Recorded in Dufftown, seventeenth century. A partial rendering of G. Mac
Gille Dhuibh, 'son of the black lad.' Alexander Makblaky had a remission for
being absent from the army at Solway, 1527 (Grant, III, p. 72). Willelmus
Mac Blake or MacBlakke in Murthlac, 1550 (Illus., II, p. 261, 262).

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