What Does the Name Blake Mean?

Blake is a unisex name of Old English (surname-derived) origin meaning “Either "black/dark" or "pale/white" (from contradictory Old English roots).”

Updated June 2026

Name	Blake
Gender	unisex
Origin	Old English (surname-derived)
Meaning	Either "black/dark" or "pale/white" (from contradictory Old English roots)
Variants	Blaike, Blayke, Blakely, Blaike
Popularity	Long popular for boys in the US and UK; gained steady girls' usage after the 1980s, now solidly unisex though still more common for boys.

The meaning and origin of Blake

The name Blake means “Either "black/dark" or "pale/white" (from contradictory Old English roots)” and has Old English (surname-derived) origins. An English surname turned given name with a famously paradoxical etymology, from Old English blæc "black, dark" or its near-homophone blac "pale, white." Originally a nickname for someone with dark or fair coloring.

Variants and related names

Blake is related to several other names you may recognize: Blaike, Blayke, Blakely, Blaike. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Blake?

Long popular for boys in the US and UK; gained steady girls' usage after the 1980s, now solidly unisex though still more common for boys.

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