Bletsoe

Recorded as Bletsoe, Bletso and Bletsor, this unusual surname is English. It is in fact locational from Bletsoe, a village and parish in the county of Bedfordshire, near to Bedford itself. According to the Dictionary of English Place Names, the meaning of the name is 'Bleecca's hill' with Bleecca it is claimed, being an early personal name of the pre 7th century. This is also apparently found (if correct), in the town name of Bletchley both in Berkshire and Shropshire. Certainly the suffix is almost certainly 'hoh' meaning hill, but we have considerable doubts about the personal name. All 'names' whether personal or place names have a meaning, and early names had quite simple meanings. In our opinion the name is more likely to be descriptive and describe for instance people who lived at either the bottom of a hill (botham), or in this case probably the top. If so the derivational may be from the ancient word 'blaen' meaning top, fused with 'hoh', and similar to the Cumbrian village of Blencow. Over a period of fifteen centuries there have been at least four major language changes effecting England, and dozens of changed dialects. Early examples of the name recordings include John de Bletsho in the tax rolls known as the 'Feet of Fines' in 1363, Sir John Bletso, in the Feet Of Fines of 1531, during tythe reign of King Henry V111th 1510 - 1547, and George Bleatso in the city of London in 1587.