Origin and Distribution of the Family Name Blessing

The family name Blessing derives from Saint Blasius. The martyr Blasius of Sebaste lived in Armenia in the beginning of the 4th century and kept a boy from suffocating by a fishbone. His name comes from Ancient Greek "basileos" = "royal". The family name is mentioned 1293 as "Blässing" and 1506 as "Blesingk". Further forms are "Blas", "Bläsi", "Blaschke" etc. The map above was made by counting a telephone-CD and shows the centre of the family name in the district Göppingen and furthermore a movement of the name along the Swabian Alb.