ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
Perplexity
The short answer
Blair is a name taken from a Scottish surname that Behind the Name derives from Gaelic blàr, meaning "plain, field, battlefield". It is pronounced BLAIR, rhyming with "air". In Scotland the name is typically masculine, but in the United States it became more common for girls in the early 1980s, shortly after the sitcom The Facts of Life (1979-1988) introduced a character named Blair Warner; after leaving the American top 1000 two decades later it was revived by Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl (2007-2012). Blaire is a spelling variant. In the United States Blair ranked #169 for girls in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
Behind the Name gives Blair as "from a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic blàr meaning 'plain, field, battlefield'". The surname is listed as the name's root, and Blaire as an English spelling variant. The entry's real interest lies in usage rather than etymology: in Scotland Blair is typically a masculine name, whereas in the United States it "became more common for girls in the early 1980s" after the debut of The Facts of Life (1979-1988) and its character Blair Warner. Behind the Name says the name then left the American top 1000 about two decades later, only to be "resurrected by another television character", Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl (2007-2012). Behind the Name lists the name under both Scottish and English usage.
Editorial confidence: established
Linguistic roots
| Language | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic | blàr | plain, field, battlefield |
| Scottish | Blair (surname) | from the Gaelic word for a field |
Popularity
Blair ranked #169 for girls in the United States in 2025 (Social Security Administration). Behind the Name describes a two-stage American history for the name among girls: growth in the early 1980s tied to The Facts of Life, a drop out of the top 1000 about twenty years later, and a return with Gossip Girl (2007-2012). In Scotland, by contrast, the entry says the name is typically masculine. No non-US rank figures were available in the facts used for this draft.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (girls) | 2025 | #169 | ssa-2025 |
United States, 2025: #169 (Social Security Administration)
Nicknames, variants, and related names
Nicknames: None documented.
Variants: Blaire
Related names: None documented.
What the name feels like
Blair is one crisp syllable with a preppy, polished feel, an impression its two best-known television bearers did much to fix. It reads as tailored rather than frilly, which makes it a natural choice for parents who want a girls' name without a soft ending, and its Scottish surname origin gives it a settled, old-money undertone.
Style tags: one syllable, surname name, Scottish, unisex history, preppy
Editorial interpretation: These style impressions are editorial judgment, not linguistic fact. Behind the Name records no nicknames for Blair; the preppy association is an editorial reading of the television characters the entry mentions.
If you like this name
Names that share Blair's single-syllable sound, its surname style or its Scottish roots. These groupings are editorial suggestions.
Similar by sound
Similar by style
Similar by origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Blair mean?
Blair comes from a Scottish surname derived from Gaelic blàr, meaning "plain, field, battlefield", according to Behind the Name.
Is Blair a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, depending on where you are. Behind the Name says Blair is typically masculine in Scotland, but in the United States it has been more common for girls since the early 1980s; it ranked #169 for girls in the US in 2025 according to Social Security Administration data.
Why did Blair become popular for girls?
Behind the Name credits two television characters: Blair Warner of The Facts of Life (1979-1988), after whose debut the name grew for American girls, and Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl (2007-2012), who brought it back after it had left the top 1000.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Blair — supports etymology, variants, gender usage by region, television references.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
