Map of England showing where the Blades arms are recorded
The Blades arms were recorded in Yorkshire, c. 1620.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
James VI and I
Sovereign of the period
James VI and I
1603–1625
Reigning in England when the Blades arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in England
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
Granting authority
The College of Arms in London has regulated the use of coats of arms throughout England and Wales since 1484.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal grant from the Crown or by proving their ancient right to them.
Where arms were recorded
All official coats of arms are recorded in the registers kept at the College of Arms, which date back to the fifteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Yorkshire.
Origin & History of the Blades Family in England
The surname Blades is rooted in the northern regions of England, with historical records confirming that families bearing this name were well-established in Yorkshire by the early seventeenth century. The name is classified as a topographic or occupational surname, likely originating from the Old English word "blæd," which could refer to a blade of grass, a leaf, or the sharp edge of a tool or weapon. Given the landscape of Yorkshire during the 1600s, it is probable that early ancestors were associated with the skilled metalworking trades common in the region, or perhaps they lived near a specific geographical feature like a sharp ridge or a meadow. As the family grew, they became deeply integrated into the local parish life of Northern England, where they appear in baptismal and marriage registers that document their steady presence in the rural communities of the West Riding. These early generations helped shape the local economy and culture of the area long before the name spread to other parts of the British Isles.
Blades Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
blad
Old Norse word referring to a leaf or a blade of grass.
This name
BladesAn occupational name for a sword maker or a topographical name for someone living near a leaf-shaped piece of land.
also spelled
Blaydes
Blayds
Related arms
Blaydesvariant spelling
Blaydsvariant spelling
Documented Sources
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Bardsley, Charles Wareing, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, 1901
Reaney, P.H., A Dictionary of British Surnames, 1958
West Yorkshire Archive Service, Parish Registers of the West Riding of Yorkshire, 1620
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saltireResolution, and St Andrew's cross
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saltireResolution, and St Andrew's cross
arms pheon arrowheadReadiness for battle, and the broad arrow of the sovereign
