Blyth - Name

This ancient Scottish name is of locational origin, from the old barony of Blyth in the "lordship" of Lauderdale, in what is now the Borders region. The place was originally named from the Old English pre 7th Century "blithe", merry, cheerful, perhaps on account of its pleasant situation, or from a nearby river, which would have been so named for its merry, chattering sound. One James Blyth is recorded in ancient charters of the Earldom of Morton, in 1485, as a burgess of Dundee, and William Blitht was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1488. Richard Blyth was Member of Parliament for Dundee in 1567. Blyth was a common name among the Border Gypsies, a late "Queen" being Esther Faa Blyth, who died in July 1883. Among recordings of the name in Edinburgh is that of the marriage of Ludovick Blyth and Bessie Morrison, on January 17th 1673, and the christening of John, son of Thomas and Anna Blyth, on January 23rd 1677. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Blyth, which was dated 1296, Documents relating to Scotland in the Public Records Office, during the reign of King Edward 1 of England, "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307, (Interregnum in Scotland, 1292 - 1296). Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.