Blanche is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

. It means "

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

" in French, derived from the

Late Latin Late Latin ( la, Latinitas serior) is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the , and continuing into the 7th century in t ...

word "blancus".Katsev, Igor (2013). Origin and Meaning of Blanche. MFnames.com, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.mfnames.com/fnames/b/origin-and-meaning-of-blanche.htm .Hanks, Patrick (2006). Blanche. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2006. Print . Ebook . Retrieved from http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195081374.001.0001/acref-9780195081374-e-5358?rskey=xQs8Pm&result=5358. It is a popular 20th-century name in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

People

French royalty

Blanche of Castile Blanche of Castile ( es, Blanca de Castilla; 4 March 1188 – 27 November 1252) was Queen of France by marriage to Louis VIII. She acted as regent twice during the reign of her son, Louis IX: during his minority from 1226 until 1234, and during ...

(1188–1252), Queen of France, granddaughter of Blanca of Navarre (daughter of Garcia VI) * Blanche of Navarre, Queen of France (Blanche d'Évreux, 1330–1398) *

Blanche of France, Infanta of Castile Blanche of France (French: ''Blanche de France'') (1253–1323) was a daughter of King Louis IX of France and Margaret of Provence. Biography Blanche was born in 1253 in Jaffa, County of Jaffa and Ascalon during the Seventh Crusade led by her ...

(1253–1323), daughter of King Louis IX of France, wife of Fernando, the eldest son of Alfonso X of Castile *

Blanche of France, Duchess of Austria Blanche of France (german: Blanca; – 1 March 1305), a member of the House of Capet, was Duchess of Austria and Styria as consort to the Habsburg Duke Rudolph III, eldest son of King Albert I of Germany. Life Blanche was born in Paris, the se ...

(c. 1278–1305), daughter of King Philip II of France, wife of Rudolf I of Bohemia *

Blanche of France (nun) Blanche of France (1313 – 26 April 1358), nun at Longchamp Abbey,The Abbey of Longchamp was in the Bois de Boulogne within a day's ride west of Paris. was the fourth and youngest daughter of King Philip V of France and Countess Joan II of Burgu ...

(1313–1358), daughter of King Philip V of France * Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans (1328–1382), posthumous daughter of King Charles IV of France, Duchess consort of Orleans * Blanche of Burgundy, Queen of France

Navarrese royalty

* Blanche of Navarre, Queen of Castile (after 1133 – 1156), daughter of García Ramírez of Navarre, wife of King Sancho III of Castile *

Blanche of Navarre, Countess of Champagne Blanche of Navarre (–1229) was Countess of Champagne by marriage to Theobald III, Count of Champagne, and regent of Champagne during the minority of her son Theobald I of Navarre between 1201 and 1222. Life Early life She was the youngest dau ...

(died 1229), Countess of Champagne and regent of Navarre *

Blanche of Artois Blanche of Artois ( eu, Blanka; 1248 – 2 May 1302) was Queen of Navarre and Countess of Champagne and Brie during her marriage to Henry I of Navarre. After his death she became regent in the name of their infant daughter, Joan I. She passed o ...

(1248–1302), queen consort and regent of Navarre * Blanche of Navarre, Duchess of Brittany (1226–1283), also known as Blanche of Champagne, wife of duke John I of Brittany * Blanche I of Navarre (1385–1441), queen regnant of Navarre, wife of John II of Navarre *

Blanche II of Navarre Blanche II ( es, Blanca, eu, Zuria; 9 June 1424 – 2 December 1464), was the titular Queen of Navarre between 1461 and 1464. She was the daughter of John II of Aragon and Blanche I of Navarre. She was also Princess of Asturias by marriage t ...

(1424–1464), daughter of Blanche I of Navarre; pretender of Navarre, divorced Queen of Castile

Other nobility

* Blanche of Namur (1320–1363), queen-consort of Norway and Sweden *Duchess

Blanche of England Blanche of England, LG (spring 1392 – 22 May 1409), also known as Blanche of Lancaster, was a member of the House of Lancaster, the daughter of King Henry IV of England by his first wife Mary de Bohun. Family Born at Peterborough Castle ...

(1392–1409), also known as Blanche of Lancaster, daughter of King Henry IV *

Blanche of Brittany Blanche of Brittany (1271–1327) was a daughter of John II, Duke of Brittany, and his wife Beatrice of England. She is also known as Blanche de Dreux. Through her mother she was the granddaughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Prov ...

(1271–1327), mother of Robert III of Artois *Blanche of Sicily, wife of Robert III of Flanders *

Blanche of Anjou Blanche of Anjou (1280 – 14 October 1310) was Queen of Aragon as the second spouse of King James II of Aragon. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, she is also known as Blanche of Naples. She served as Regent or "Queen-Lieutenant" o ...

(1280–1310), wife of James II of Aragon *

Lady Blanche Arundell Lady Blanche Arundell (née Lady Blanche Somerset; 1583 or – 28 October 1649) was an English noblewoman, known as the defender of Wardour Castle, where she defended the castle for nearly a week with just 25 men and her maidservants against a ...

(1583 or c. 1584–1649), wife of Thomas Arundell, 2nd Baron Arundell of Wardour *

Blanche de Brienne, Baroness Tingry Blanche de Brienne, Baroness Tingry (c. 1252 – c. 1302) was the wife of William II de Fiennes, Baron of Tingry (c. 1250 – 11 July 1302). She was also known as Dame de La Loupelande, and Blanche of Acre. Family Blanche was born in a ...

(c. 1252–c. 1302) *

Blanche del Carretto Blanche del Carretto (1432 – 1458), was Lady of Monaco by marriage to Catalan, Lord of Monaco. She has also been called Marguerite del Carretto. She was the daughter of Galeotto I del Carretto, Margrave of Finale. Blanche and Catalan had only ...

(1432–1458), Lady Consort of Monaco *Lady Blanche, daughter of Charles Noel, 2nd Earl of Gainsborough *

Blanche of Valois Blanche of Valois (baptised ''Marguerite''; 1317–1348) was Queen of Germany and Bohemia by her marriage to King and later Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. She was the youngest daughter of Charles of Valois and his third wife Mahaut of Châtillo ...

(1316–1348), wife of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor

Other people

* Blanche (singer), stage name of Belgian singer and songwriter Ellie Delvaux * Blanche d'Alpuget (born 1944), Australian novelist and biographer, second wife of Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke *

Blanche Baker Blanche Baker (born December 20, 1956) is an American actress and filmmaker. She won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the television mini-series ''Holocaust''. Baker is known for her role as Ginny Baker in ''Sixteen Can ...

(born 1956), American actress * Blanche Hermine Barbot (1842–1919), Belgian-American musical director and pianist *

Blanche Barrow Blanche Barrow (born Bennie Iva Caldwell; January 1, 1911 – December 24, 1988) was the wife of the elder brother of Clyde Barrow, known as Buck. He became her second husband after his release from prison after a pardon. To her dismay, Buck j ...

(1911–1988), husband of Buck Barrow *

Blanche Bates Blanche Bates (August 25, 1873 – December 25, 1941) was an American actress. Early years Bates was born in Portland, Oregon, while her parents (both of whom were actors) were on a road tour. As an infant, she traveled with them on a t ...

(1873–1941), American actress *

Blanche Bernstein Blanche Bernstein (d. Jan. 27, 1993) was a welfare expert and controversial commissioner of the New York City Department of Human Resource (1978–79) at the outset of the administration of Mayor Edward I. Koch. Bernstein was a critic of a syst ...

(died 1993), American economist *

Blanche Bingley Blanche Bingley Hillyard (née Bingley; 3 November 1863 – 6 August 1946) was an English tennis player. She won six singles Wimbledon championships (1886, 1889, 1894, 1897, 1898, 1900) and was runner up seven times, having also competed in the ...

(1863–1946), English tennis player *

Blanche Bolduc Marie-Louise Blanche Bolduc (April 13, 1906 or 1907 – February 14, 1998) was a Canadian folk artist living in Quebec. Early life The daughter of Thaddée and Virginie Bolduc, she was born in Baie-Saint-Paul; her sister Yvonne also became an ...

(1906/1907–1998), Canadian folk singer * Blanche Brillon Macdonald (1931–1985), Canadian Métis politician *

Blanche Bruce Blanche Kelso Bruce (March 1, 1841March 17, 1898) was born into slavery in Prince Edward County, Virginia, and went on to become a politician who represented Mississippi as a Republican in the United States Senate from 1875 to 1881. He was ...

(1841–1898), first African-American to serve a full term in the United States Senate *

Blanche Calloway Blanche Dorothea Jones Calloway (February 9, 1902 – December 16, 1978) was an American jazz singer, composer, and bandleader. She was the older sister of Cab Calloway and was a successful singer before her brother. With a music career that spa ...

(1902–1978), African-American jazz singer * Blanche Crozier (1881–1957), Canadian actress * Blanche Wiesen Cook (born 1941), American professor of history and author *

Blanche Deschamps-Jéhin Blanche Deschamps-Jéhin (also Marie Blanche Deschamps-Jehin) (18 September 1857, Lyons- June 1923, Paris) was a French operatic contralto who had a prolific career in France from 1879-1905. She possessed a rich-toned and flexible voice that had ...

(1857–1923), French operatic contralto *

Blanche Dugdale Blanche Elizabeth Campbell "Baffy" Dugdale (née Balfour, 23 May 1880 – 16 May 1948) was a British author and Zionist. Chaim Weizmann called her, "an ardent, lifelong friend of Zionism". Early life She was born Blanche Elizabeth Campbell Balf ...

(1880–1948), British author and Zionist *

Blanche Friderici Blanche L. Friderici (January 21, 1878 – December 23, 1933) was an American film and stage actress, sometimes credited as Blanche Frederici. Early years Friderici was a native of Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were William E. Friderici ...

(1878—1933), American film and stage actress *

Blanche Gardin Blanche Gardin (; born 3 April 1977) is a French actress, comedian and writer. Gardin holds a Master of Sociology degree from the Paris Nanterre University Paris Nanterre University (French: ''Université Paris Nanterre''), formerly Paris-X ...

(born 1977), French actress, comedian and writer *

Blanche Jenkins Blanche Jenkins (active 1872–1915) was a British portrait painter. Life Jenkins was active as an exhibitor at the Society of British Artists and at the Royal Academy, where she showed some 49 works from 1872 onwards. She was also a member of ...

(active 1872–1915), British portrait painter *

Blanche Lazzell Blanche Lazzell (October 10, 1878 – June 1, 1956) was an American painter, printmaking, printmaker and designer. Known especially for her Woodcut#White-line woodcut, white-line woodcuts, she was an early modernism, modernist American artist, ...

(1878–1956), American modernist painter and printmaker * Blanche Douglass Leathers, first female steamboat captain *

Blanche Lincoln Blanche Lambert Lincoln (born Blanche Meyers Lambert; September 30, 1960) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Arkansas from 1999 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to the Senate in ...

(born 1960), senator from Arkansas *

Blanche Martin Blanche Martin (born January 16, 1937) is a former American football player who played one season with the Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Th ...

(born 1937), American Football League player *

Blanche McManus Blanche McManus (1869–1935) was an American writer and artist. She and her husband, Milburg Francisco Mansfield wrote a series of illustrated travel books, many of which included information about automobiles which were new at the time. Biogra ...

(1869–1935), American writer and artist * Blanche L. McSmith (1920-2006), American politician *

Blanche Hoschedé Monet Blanche Hoschedé Monet (10 November 1865 – 8 December 1947) was a French painter who was both the stepdaughter and the daughter-in-law of Claude Monet. Early life Ernest and Alice Hoschedé Blanche Hoschedé was born in Paris, the sec ...

(1865–1947), French painter, both stepdaughter and daughter-in law of

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. Durin ...

Blanche Oelrichs Blanche Marie Louise Oelrichs (October 1, 1890 – November 5, 1950) was an American poet, playwright and theatre actress. Oelrichs first used the masculine pen name Michael Strange to publish her poetry in order to distance her society reputat ...

(1890–1950), American actress and poet *

Blanche Ravalec Blanche Ravalec (born 19 September 1954) is a French actress, dubbing artist, and former stewardess. Career Ravalec is known to English-speaking audiences mainly for her role as Dolly, Jaws' girlfriend in the 1979 James Bond film '' Moonra ...

(born 1954), French actress *

Blanche Scott Blanche Stuart Scott (April 8, 1884 – January 12, 1970), also known as Betty Scott, was possibly the first American woman aviator. Biography Early life Blanche Stuart Scott was born on April 8, 1884, in Rochester, New York, to Belle and John ...

(1885–1970), American aviator *

Blanche Sweet Sarah Blanche Sweet (June 18, 1896 – September 6, 1986) was an American silent film actress who began her career in the earliest days of the Hollywood motion picture film industry. Early life Born Sarah Blanche Sweet (though her first nam ...

(1896–1986), American early silent film actress *

Blanche Thebom Blanche Thebom (September 19, 1915March 23, 2010) 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 co ...

(1915–2010), American operatic soprano *

Blanche Walsh Blanche Walsh (January 4, 1873 – October 31, 1915) 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. Biograph ...

(1873–1915), American actress *

Blanche Yurka Blanche Yurka (born Blanch Jurka, June 19, 1887 – June 6, 1974) was an American stage and film actress and director. She was an opera singer with minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera and later became a stage actress, making her Broadway debu ...

(1887–1974), American stage and film actress and director

Fictional characters

* Blanche, an ostrich villager in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and New Horizons *

Blanche Devereaux Blanche Devereaux is a character from the sitcom television series '' The Golden Girls'', and its spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. Blanche was portrayed by Rue McClanahan for 8 years and 204 episodes across the two series. The charact ...

, in the television series '' The Golden Girls'' and ''

The Golden Palace ''The Golden Palace'' is an American sitcom television series produced as a sequel to ''The Golden Girls,'' a continuation without Bea Arthur (though she did guest star in a double episode) that originally aired on CBS from September 1992 to M ...

'' *

Blanche DuBois Blanche DuBois (married name Grey) is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. The character was written for Tallulah Bankhead and made popular to later audiences with Elia Ka ...

, in the play ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' and its adaptations *The title character of the 1948 British film ''

Blanche Fury ''Blanche Fury'' is a 1948 British Technicolor drama film directed by Marc Allégret and starring Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger and Michael Gough. It was adapted from a 1939 novel of the same title by Joseph Shearing. In Victorian era Englan ...

'', played by

Valerie Hobson Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was John Profumo, a British government minister who became the subject of the P ...

Blanche Hunt Blanche Hunt (also Linfield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress died by suicide after appearing in just two episodes in August 1974. ...

, the character in the British soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Maggie Jones * Blanche Ingram, from the novel ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' *Madamoiselle Blanche De Cominges, from Dostoyevsky's novel '' The Gambler'' *Blanche White, in the board game ''

Cluedo ''Cluedo'' (), known as ''Clue'' in North America, is a murder mystery game for three to six players (depending on editions) that was devised in 1943 by British board game designer Anthony E. Pratt. The game was first manufactured by Waddin ...

'' (''Clue'' in US) *Blanca Trueba, in Isabel Allende's novel ''

The House of the Spirits ''The House of the Spirits'' ( es, La casa de los espíritus, 1982) is the debut novel of Isabel Allende. The novel was rejected by several Spanish-language publishers before being published in Buenos Aires in 1982. It became an instant best-se ...

'' *Blanche Buck, in the 1967 film '' Bonnie and Clyde'' *Blanche, a white cat in 1977 Japanese surrealistic horror film ''

Hausu is a 1977 Japanese experimental comedy horror film directed and produced by Nobuhiko Obayashi. It is about a schoolgirl traveling with her six friends to her ailing aunt's country home, where they come face to face with supernatural events a ...

'' *Blanche, Kaede Saitou's angel in the anime and manga series ''

Angelic Layer is a Japanese manga series created by Clamp. The manga was published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, and in English originally by Tokyopop, but has since been re-licensed by Dark Horse Comics. It was the group's first work using a significantl ...

'' *Blanche Norton, from the 1950s comedy show,

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

. Bea Benaderet played the character. *Blanche, Team Mystic's leader from 2016 mobile game

Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...

. *Sister Blanche, in Francis Poulenc's opera

Dialogues of the Carmelites ' (''Dialogues of the Carmelites''), FP 159, is an opera in three acts, divided into twelve scenes with linking orchestral interludes, with music and libretto by Francis Poulenc, completed in 1956. The composer's second opera, Poulenc wrote the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanche (Given Name) English feminine given names French feminine given names