Blanche (given name)
Encyclopedia
Blanche is a feminine given name. It means "white" in French
, derived from the Late Latin
word "blancus", which is itself of Germanic origin, one of a number of words designating colours - others are words for "grey" (German "greis" meaning "grey-haired", French "gris") and "brown" (French "brun") - which are thought to have been borrowed into Latin to classify horses (cf Old English "blanca" meaning "white horse") (English and French: Blanche; Italian: Bianca
; Spanish: Blanca; Portuguese: Branca
).
It became common in the last medieval centuries in the Western Europe
an cultural sphere. Apparently the name, possibly invented at that time, received a boost when king García Ramírez of Navarre and his French-born wife Marguerite de L'Aigle
named one of their daughters Blanca. Many of their descendants, who rapidly spread to royal families
all around Western Europe, named one of their daughters Blanche.
The name's popularity might be related to aesthetic concepts current at the time, whereby "a skin white as milk" was considered as an ultimate mark of female beauty. Such idealised depictions of beautiful women - of beautiful princesses in particular - are attested in in numerous works of prose and poetry of this period.
The Welsh
female name "Gwen
" also means "White". One of the theories for the origin of Spanish "Elvira" is that it is derived from the same word in Arabic.
The name vanished from use by the royals of Navarre after the 1460s.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, derived from the Late Latin
Late Latin
Late Latin is the scholarly name for the written Latin of Late Antiquity. The English dictionary definition of Late Latin dates this period from the 3rd to the 6th centuries AD extending in Spain to the 7th. This somewhat ambiguously defined period fits between Classical Latin and Medieval Latin...
word "blancus", which is itself of Germanic origin, one of a number of words designating colours - others are words for "grey" (German "greis" meaning "grey-haired", French "gris") and "brown" (French "brun") - which are thought to have been borrowed into Latin to classify horses (cf Old English "blanca" meaning "white horse") (English and French: Blanche; Italian: Bianca
Bianca
Bianca is a feminine given name or an Italian family name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. Bianca may refer to:-People:*Bianca Balti , Italian model*Bianca Beauchamp , Canadian model...
; Spanish: Blanca; Portuguese: Branca
Branca
Branca is a feminine given name. It means "white" in Portuguese .-People with the surname:*Angelo Branca , Canadian judge*Ascanio Branca , Italian politician and Minister of Finance...
).
It became common in the last medieval centuries in the Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an cultural sphere. Apparently the name, possibly invented at that time, received a boost when king García Ramírez of Navarre and his French-born wife Marguerite de L'Aigle
Marguerite de l'Aigle
Marguerite de l'Aigle was a daughter of Gilbert de l'Aigle, Seigneur de l'Aigle and his wife Juliana du Perche. She was Queen consort of Navarre, by her marriage to García Ramírez of Navarre.- Family :...
named one of their daughters Blanca. Many of their descendants, who rapidly spread to royal families
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
all around Western Europe, named one of their daughters Blanche.
The name's popularity might be related to aesthetic concepts current at the time, whereby "a skin white as milk" was considered as an ultimate mark of female beauty. Such idealised depictions of beautiful women - of beautiful princesses in particular - are attested in in numerous works of prose and poetry of this period.
The Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
female name "Gwen
Gwen (given name)
Gwen is Celtic name meaning "white" in Welsh and in Breton when spelled Gwenn.Many other first names are derived from Gwen or Gwenn :*Gwenllian*Gwenffrewi *Gwenhwyfar *Gwenfair*Gwenno*Gwennan*Gwenvred*Gwendal*Gwendalynne...
" also means "White". One of the theories for the origin of Spanish "Elvira" is that it is derived from the same word in Arabic.
The Navarrese royal family
- Blanca Garcés of Navarre, daughter of García Ramírez of Navarre, wife of King Sancho III of CastileSancho III of CastileSancho III was King of Castile and Toledo for one year, from 1157 to 1158. During the Reconquista, in which he took an active part, he founded the Order of Calatrava...
, died 1156 - Blanca Sánchez of Navarre, also Blanche de Navarre, died 1229, countess of Champagne and regent of Navarre
- Blanche of ArtoisBlanche of ArtoisBlanche of Artois was the queen consort of Navarre; after her husband Henry I of Navarre's death, she served as regent from 1274 to 1284 on behalf of her daughter, Joan I...
, also Blanche de Navarre, died 1300, regent of Navarre - Blanche of Navarre, wife of duke John I of Brittany
- Blanche I of NavarreBlanche I of NavarreBlanche I was Queen of Navarre from 1425 to 1441. She became queen regnant upon the death of her father King Charles III of Navarre...
(1385-1441), Queen Regnant of NavarreNavarreNavarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, wife of John II of Navarre - Blanche II of NavarreBlanche II of NavarreBlanche II of Navarre , titular queen of Navarre, was the daughter of John II of Aragon and Blanche I of Navarre. She was also Princess of Asturias by marriage....
, daughter of the previous. Pretender of Navarre, divorced queen of Castile. - Blanca of Navarre (1420-1464), first wife of Henry IV of Castile
The name vanished from use by the royals of Navarre after the 1460s.
Other nobility
- Blanche of CastileBlanche of CastileBlanche of Castile , was a Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX....
, queen of France, granddaughter of Blanca of Navarre (daughter of Garcia VI) - Blanche of Namur, queen of Norway and Sweden
- Duchess Blanche of LancasterBlanche of LancasterBlanche of Lancaster, Duchess of Lancaster was an English noblewoman and heiress, daughter of England's wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster...
- Blanche of BrittanyBlanche of BrittanyBlanche of Brittany was a daughter of John II, Duke of Brittany and his wife Beatrice of England. She is also known as Blanche de Dreux...
, mother of Robert III of Artois - Blanche of Sicily, wife of Robert III of FlandersRobert III of FlandersRobert III of Flanders , also called Robert of Bethune and nicknamed The Lion of Flanders , was Count of Nevers 1273–1322 and Count of Flanders 1305–1322.-History:...
- Blanche of AnjouBlanche of AnjouBlanche of Anjou was the second Queen consort of James II of Aragon. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, she is also known as Blanche of Naples-Family:...
, wife of James II of Aragon - Blanche d'ÉvreuxBlanche d'EvreuxBlanche of Navarre was Queen consort of France as the wife of King Philip VI of France.She was the second child and daughter of Queen Joan II of Navarre and King Philip III of Navarre...
, queen of France - Blanche of France (1253–1323)Blanche of France (1253–1323)Blanche of France was a daughter of King Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence, and sister of King Philip III of France and Queen Isabella of Navarre.-Biography:...
, wife of Fernando, the eldest son of Alfonso X of Castile - Blanche of France (1282–1305)Blanche of France (1282–1305)Blanche of France was consort to Rudolph I of Habsburg, Duke of Austria and Styria and son of King Albert I of Germany.-Family:...
, wife of Rudolf III of Austria, eldest son of Holy Roman Emperor Albert I - Blanche of France, Duchess of OrléansBlanche of France, Duchess of OrléansBlanche of France was the posthumous daughter of Charles IV of France by his third wife Jeanne d'Évreux.-Marriage:...
, Duchess consort of Orleans - Blanche of BurgundyBlanche of BurgundyBlanche of Burgundy was queen of France and Navarre for a few months in 1322 due to her marriage to the future king Charles IV.-Biography:She was the daughter of Otto IV, Count of Burgundy and Mahaut, Countess of Artois...
, queen of France - Blanche of ValoisBlanche of ValoisBlanche of Valois was the youngest daughter of Charles of Valois and his third wife Mahaut of Châtillon.-Family:Her paternal grandparents were Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. Her maternal grandparents were Guy IV, Count of Saint-Pol and Marie of Brittany.Marie was a daughter of John...
, wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Other people
- Blanche d'AlpugetBlanche d'AlpugetJosephine Blanche d'Alpuget is an Australian writer, and second wife of the longest-serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.-Biography:...
, Australian novelist and biographer - Blanche BakerBlanche Baker-Personal life:Born Blanche Garfein in New York City, she is the daughter of actress Carroll Baker and director Jack Garfein. She attended Wellesley College from 1974 until 1976.-Career:...
, actress - Blanche BatesBlanche BatesBlanche Bates was an American actress, born at Portland, Ore. She made her début in San Francisco in a benefit performance of Brander Matthews's This Picture and That. Among her early successes were her Mrs. Hillary in The Senator, Phyllis in The Charity Ball, and Nora in A Doll's House...
, actress - Blanche BruceBlanche BruceBlanche Kelso Bruce was a U.S. politician who represented Mississippi as a Republican in the U.S. Senate from 1875 to 1881 and was the first elected African-American senator to serve a full term. Hiram R. Revels, also of Mississippi, was the first to ever serve in the U.S...
, first black to serve a full term in the United States Senate - Blanche CallowayBlanche CallowayBlanche Calloway was a Jazz singer, bandleader, and composer from Baltimore, Maryland. She is not as well known as her younger brother Cab Calloway, but she may have been the first woman to lead an all male orchestra. Cab Calloway often credited her with being the reason he got into show business...
, 1930s African-American jazz singer - Blanche Douglass LeathersBlanche Douglass LeathersBlanche Douglass Leathers was born in 1860. She was the first woman master and a steamboat captain on the Mississippi River in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the daughter-in-law of Captain T. P. Leathers, who was commander of the Natchez in its historic 1870 race with Robert E. Lee...
, first female steamboat captain - Blanche LincolnBlanche LincolnBlanche Meyers Lambert Lincoln is a former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1998, she was the first woman elected to the Senate from Arkansas since Hattie Caraway in 1932 and, at age 38, was the youngest woman ever elected to the...
, the senior Senator from Arkansas - Blanche OelrichsBlanche OelrichsBlanche Oelrichs was an American poet, playwright, and theatre actress known by the pseudonym, "Michael Strange."-Biography:...
, actress and poet - Blanche RavalecBlanche RavalecBlanche Ravalec is a French actress and dubbing artist. To English-speaking audiences, she is chiefly known for her role as Dolly, Jaws' girlfriend in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker. Beyond this, however, she has made over seventy appearances in French-language TV and film...
, actress - Blanche Roddick, mother of tennis player Andy RoddickAndy RoddickAndrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
- Blanche Stuart ScottBlanche Stuart ScottBlanche Stuart Scott , also known as Betty Scott, was possibly the first American woman aviator.-Early life:...
, aviatrix - Blanche ThebomBlanche ThebomBlanche Thebom was an American operatic mezzo-soprano, voice teacher, and opera director. She was part of the first wave of American opera singers that had highly successful international careers. In her own country she had a long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City which...
, operatic soprano - Blanche WalshBlanche WalshBlanche Walsh was a highly regarded American stage actress who appeared in one film, Resurrection based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy and the first three reel treatment of any Tolstoy story....
, actress - Bartolomé BlancheBartolomé BlancheGeneral Bartolomé Guillermo Blanche Espejo was a Chilean military officer and provisional president of Chile in 1932....
, Provisional President of ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far... - Margot BlancheMargot BlancheMargot Blanche Moussempes is a French/Filipino singer and songwriter-Early life:Blanche was born in Hong Kong on August 29, 1983 to Nicolas Moussempes and Patricia Muassab. Blanche's father was born in Paris, France, while her mother is of Filipino and Syrian Descent...
, pop singer - John BlancheJohn BlancheJohn Blanche is a British fantasy and science fiction illustrator and modeler known for his work for Games Workshop's White Dwarf magazine, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Warhammer 40,000 games and his role as art director for the company, including his work in the field...
, illustrator
Fictional characters
- Blanche, white cat in 1977 Japanese surrealistic horror film Hausu
- Blanche, Kaede Saitou's angel in the anime and manga series Angelic LayerAngelic Layeris a manga series released by Clamp. The manga is published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, and in English originally by Tokyopop, but has since been re-licensed by Dark Horse Comics. It is the group's first work to use a quite different art style unseen in any other CLAMP series, which uses a more...
- Blanche DevereauxBlanche DevereauxBlanche Elizabeth Devereaux is one of the four main fictional characters on the 1985-1992 NBC sitcom The Golden Girls, and its CBS spin-off The Golden Palace. In the pilot episode her last name was given as Hollingsworth, but this was somewhat "corrected" in later episodes by making this her...
, character on The Golden GirlsThe Golden GirlsThe Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
and The Golden PalaceThe Golden PalaceThe Golden Palace is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1992, to May 14, 1993. The show was a spin-off and continuation of the sitcom The Golden Girls.... - Blanche DuBoisBlanche DuBoisBlanche DuBois is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire...
, character in A Streetcar Named Desire - Blanche HuntBlanche HuntBlanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
, character in Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960... - Blanche Ingram, a character from Jane EyreJane EyreJane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
- Blanca, a character from Animal CrossingAnimal CrossingThe Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
- BlankaBlankais a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Blanka is depicted as a feral savage, with green skin and long orange hair, resembling a monster more than a human...
, a character in the Street Fighter IIStreet Fighter IIis a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
video games - Madamoiselle Blanche De Cominges, a character from DostoevskyFyodor DostoevskyFyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....
's novel The GamblerThe Gambler (novel)The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoyevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoyevsky completed the novella under a... - Blanca, a character in the web comic "Sugar Stars"
- Blanche White, character in the board game CluedoCluedoCluedo is a popular murder/mystery-themed deduction board game originally published by Waddingtons in Leeds, England in 1949. It was devised by Anthony E. Pratt, a solicitor's clerk from Birmingham, England. It is now published by the United States game and toy company Hasbro, which acquired its U.S...
(Clue in US) - Blanca Trueba, character in Isabel AllendeIsabel AllendeIsabel Allende Llona is a Chilean writer with American citizenship. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the "magic realist" tradition, is famous for novels such as The House of the Spirits and City of the Beasts , which have been commercially successful...
's novel The House of the SpiritsThe House of the SpiritsThe House of the Spirits is the debut novel by Isabel Allende. Initially, the novel was rejected by several Spanish-language publishers, but became an instant best seller when published in Barcelona in 1982. The novel was critically acclaimed around the world, and catapulted Allende to literary...