Boy nameCurrently #210 in the USFalling
Blake
BLAYK//bleɪk//
1 syllablePeak year: 20125 lettersStarts with B
Meaning & origin
Black, dark; or pale, fair (both meanings possible)
Blake comes from an English surname with a genuinely double root — it can derive from Old English words meaning either 'black/dark' or, confusingly, 'pale/fair', both having merged into the same modern spelling. Its clean, one-syllable sound has made it popular for both boys and girls.
Blake's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Blake |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1886 | 9 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1890 | 5 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 6 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1897 | 6 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1901 | 5 |
| 1903 | 7 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1906 | 9 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 8 |
| 1910 | 10 |
| 1911 | 12 |
| 1912 | 13 |
| 1913 | 16 |
| 1914 | 20 |
| 1915 | 38 |
| 1916 | 29 |
| 1917 | 38 |
| 1918 | 39 |
| 1919 | 45 |
| 1920 | 50 |
| 1921 | 61 |
| 1922 | 39 |
| 1923 | 42 |
| 1924 | 41 |
| 1925 | 37 |
| 1926 | 36 |
| 1927 | 41 |
| 1928 | 37 |
| 1929 | 30 |
| 1930 | 29 |
| 1931 | 31 |
| 1932 | 33 |
| 1933 | 41 |
| 1934 | 36 |
| 1935 | 34 |
| 1936 | 30 |
| 1937 | 28 |
| 1938 | 28 |
| 1939 | 30 |
| 1940 | 33 |
| 1941 | 33 |
| 1942 | 44 |
| 1943 | 58 |
| 1944 | 42 |
| 1945 | 51 |
| 1946 | 71 |
| 1947 | 86 |
| 1948 | 76 |
| 1949 | 89 |
| 1950 | 131 |
| 1951 | 144 |
| 1952 | 212 |
| 1953 | 213 |
| 1954 | 279 |
| 1955 | 279 |
| 1956 | 282 |
| 1957 | 288 |
| 1958 | 367 |
| 1959 | 411 |
| 1960 | 433 |
| 1961 | 511 |
| 1962 | 554 |
| 1963 | 576 |
| 1964 | 480 |
| 1965 | 455 |
| 1966 | 409 |
| 1967 | 431 |
| 1968 | 423 |
| 1969 | 535 |
| 1970 | 543 |
| 1971 | 489 |
| 1972 | 485 |
| 1973 | 442 |
| 1974 | 441 |
| 1975 | 547 |
| 1976 | 567 |
| 1977 | 669 |
| 1978 | 702 |
| 1979 | 786 |
| 1980 | 1,010 |
| 1981 | 1,766 |
| 1982 | 2,410 |
| 1983 | 2,543 |
| 1984 | 2,805 |
| 1985 | 2,984 |
| 1986 | 2,878 |
| 1987 | 2,888 |
| 1988 | 3,190 |
| 1989 | 3,671 |
| 1990 | 4,305 |
| 1991 | 4,473 |
| 1992 | 4,586 |
| 1993 | 4,700 |
| 1994 | 5,071 |
| 1995 | 5,023 |
| 1996 | 4,937 |
| 1997 | 4,935 |
| 1998 | 4,780 |
| 1999 | 4,984 |
| 2000 | 5,326 |
| 2001 | 5,500 |
| 2002 | 5,488 |
| 2003 | 5,383 |
| 2004 | 4,808 |
| 2005 | 4,504 |
| 2006 | 4,628 |
| 2007 | 5,367 |
| 2008 | 5,261 |
| 2009 | 5,182 |
| 2010 | 4,944 |
| 2011 | 5,941 |
| 2012 | 6,450 |
| 2013 | 6,185 |
| 2014 | 5,449 |
| 2015 | 4,985 |
| 2016 | 4,387 |
| 2017 | 3,811 |
| 2018 | 3,650 |
| 2019 | 3,529 |
| 2020 | 3,132 |
| 2021 | 3,350 |
| 2022 | 3,027 |
| 2023 | 2,723 |
| 2024 | 2,768 |
Blake through the decades
- Blake peaked in 2012, when 6,450 babies were named Blake in the US.
- The 2000s were Blake's strongest decade, averaging 5,145 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Blake has fallen 34% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Blake currently ranks #210 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Blake
Variants & spellings
Blaike
Famous people named Blake
- William Blake — poet and artist