Given name & surname · also Old English
Blake
“a dark beauty”·“a dark, handsome man”
Blake is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a dark beauty” (English) and “a dark, handsome man” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a dark beauty” (English) and “a dark, handsome man” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Blake through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 206,623
- 186,558 boys · 20,065 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 6,450 babies
- 2025
- 2,115
- #316 for boys · #295 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 60% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,080 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 316 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 41.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 6,047 in 2012. It also appeared in 1,035 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (86). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 173,524 as a first name in 2020; 71,425 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Blake’s family of names
Blake has a related form in Blayke. Blake has a related form in Blaike. Blake has a related form in Blaek.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Blake
- Blake LivelyAmerican actress (born 1987)
- Blake ClarkAmerican stand-up comedian (born 1946)
- Blake GriffinAmerican basketball player (born 1989)
- Blake SheltonAmerican country music singer and television personalityborn 1976
- Blake JennerAmerican actorborn 1992
- Blake MichaelAmerican actorborn 1996
- Blake WheelerAmerican ice hockey playerborn 1986
- Blake PieroniAmerican swimmerborn 1995
- Blake RossAmerican software developerborn 1985
Characters named Blake: Blake Carrington (fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Blake, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Parker
“the keeper of the park”
65% boys · 35% girls
Hayden
“from the hedged valley”
68% boys · 32% girls
Landry
“of the rough terrain”
43% boys · 57% girls
Channing
“an offficial of the church” · “resembling a young wolf”
65% boys · 35% girls
Jae
“resembling a jaybird”
61% boys · 39% girls
Remington
“from the town of the raven's family”
65% boys · 35% girls
Ramsey
Ramsey is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the raven island; from the island of wild garlic.”
56% boys · 44% girls
Ellis
“Jehovah is my God” · “noble”
73% boys · 27% girls