Blair

About Blair

Blair is a Scottish surname name from Gaelic blàr, meaning “plain,” “field,” or “battlefield.” Its single syllable has served as a given name for both boys and girls. American television has supplied several particularly recognizable associations, from actor Blair Underwood to two well-known fictional Blairs.

Scottish roots and sound

The surname developed from a Gaelic landscape word. Its meanings include an open field as well as a field of battle, giving Blair a geographical origin behind its familiar use as a personal name.

Blair is traditionally masculine in Scotland. American use has developed a substantial feminine history too, especially through recent generations. Blaire is a related spelling with a final e; the standard English pronunciation is the same, rhyming with “care.”

With one syllable, Blair has little need for shortening. Its opening consonant cluster and long central vowel give it a compact sound, while its surname history connects it with a broader tradition of Scottish family names used as given names.

Two television characters

Blair Warner appeared in The Facts of Life, the sitcom that ran from 1979 to 1988. Lisa Whelchel played the character for nine years. The role made Blair a recurring feminine name in American households during a period when its use for girls was expanding.

A later generation encountered Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, played by Leighton Meester. The original television series ran from 2007 to 2012 and drew on Cecily von Ziegesar's novels about privileged New York teenagers.

Blair's complicated friendship with Serena van der Woodsen is central to the show's opening story. Serena's return to Manhattan disrupts an already competitive relationship within a world of private schools, social ambition, and closely watched reputations. The two characters gave the same short name distinctive places in American television several decades apart.

Actor Blair Underwood

Blair Underwood provides a prominent masculine association. His television work includes L.A. Law and In Treatment, and his films include Deep Impact and Set It Off. His stage career has included leading roles in classic and contemporary American drama.

Underwood made his Broadway debut in 2012 as Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire and later appeared opposite David Alan Grier in A Soldier's Play. His work has also extended into directing, producing, and audiobook narration. He shared a Grammy as a co-narrator of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. These credits connect Blair with more than the screen roles through which many viewers first knew him.

Popularity in the United States

Blair's largest boys' count came in 1963, with 330 births at #439. By 2025, 70 boys received the name. Girls' use followed a different trajectory: 1,806 girls were recorded in 2025, its highest count and best ranking to date, at #169. Recent American records therefore show a marked feminine majority, alongside a continuing masculine tradition. The figures describe Blair without combining it with Blaire.

How popular is Blair?

In 2025, Blair ranked #169 among girls in the United States, with 1,806 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1914; its largest annual count was 1,806 in 2025. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.