Blake
Meaning
dark; pale
The story
Blake comes from an English surname with two possible and nearly opposite sources. One nickname came from Old English words for black or dark; another may have meant pale or bright. Centuries of spelling blurred them together, so the honest meaning is a fork rather than one tidy definition. The surname became a given name and later a unisex one, with poet and artist William Blake giving it literary weight and actress Blake Lively making the feminine use highly visible. The US curve is quiet before the 1970s, rises through the 1980s and 1990s, reaches its strongest point in the 2000s, and then holds a slightly lower level through the 2010s and 2020s. Blake's modern appeal fits its shape: one syllable, a surname edge, and a history that allows darkness and brightness to coexist.
The formal names behind Blake
Blake is an established short form of this name.
Blakely · English origin · place name/surname, traditionally "dark meadow"
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Blake peaked in the 2000s.
When you meet Blake
Most people given the name Blake in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Blake deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Blake truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Blake fits with your family’s names and surname.
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