# Bland (surname)

Bland is a surname thought to derive from Old English (ge)bland 'storm', 'commotion'. Alternatively, it may derive from the Latin word ‘blandus’ meaning flattering
It is presumed to originate from North Yorkshire where Bland Hill is located rather than from Blandford Forum, Dorset. Possibly, the specific locality of Bland is distinctly local as one of the hamlets of Sedburgh, Yorkshire.
The family motto follows as ‘Sperate eat virtue fortes’ which translates to ‘Hope and live boldly’.
Notable persons with the surname include:
* Alexander Bland (1866–1947), Welsh international rugby player
* Bill or Billy Bland, see William Bland (disambiguation)
* Bobby Bland (1930–2013), American singer
* Carl Bland (born 1961), American footballer
* Sir Christopher Bland (1938–2017), British politician
* Colin Bland (1938–2018), Rhodesian cricketer
* DaRon Bland (born 1999), American football player
* Dave Bland (1929–2013), Australian rules footballer
* Edward Bland (composer) (1926–2013), American composer and musical director
* Edward David Bland (1848–1927), American politician
* Eleanor Taylor Bland (1944–2010), African American writer of crime fiction
* Elizabeth Bland (fl. 1681–1712), Englishwoman celebrated for her knowledge of Hebrew
* Francis Bland (1882–1967), Australian politician
* Gordon Bland (born 1941), English cricketer
* Hamilton Bland, BBC swimming commentator
* Harriet Bland (1915–1991), American athlete
* Harry Bland (1898–after 1934), English professional footballer
* Hubert Bland (1855–1914), British socialist and Fabian Society cofounder
* Hugh M. Bland (1898–1967), Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court
* Humphrey Bland (1686–1763), British Army general
* James A. Bland (1854–1911), African American musician and songwriter
* Joanne Bland, American civil rights activist
* John Bland (disambiguation), several people
* Joseph Edward Bland (1866–1945), American politician
* Joyce Bland (1906–1963), British film actress
* Leonard Thomas Bland (1851–1906), Canadian politician
* Malcolm Bland, New Zealand footballer
* Maria Bland (1769–1838), British singer
* Martin Bland (born 1947), British statistician
* Michael Bland (born 1969), American drummer
* Nate Bland (born 1974), American Major League Baseball pitcher
* Sir Nevile Bland (1886–1972), British diplomat
* Oscar E. Bland (1877–1951), U.S. Representative from Indiana
* S. Otis Bland (1872–1950), U.S. Representative from Virginia
* Peregrine Bland (c.1596–1647), early Virginia settler and politician
* Peter Bland (born 1934), British-New Zealand poet and actor
* Rachael Bland (1978–2018), Welsh journalist and radio presenter
* Richard Bland (disambiguation), several people
* Rivett Henry Bland (1811–1894), early settler and a government administrator in colonial Australia
* Robert G. Bland, American mathematician and operations researcher
* Roger Bland (born 1955), British curator and numismatist
* Salem Bland (1859–1950), Canadian Methodist theologian
* Sammy Bland (1929–2018), American broadcaster and entertainer
* Sandra Bland (1987–2015), American woman found dead in a Texas jail cell
* Theodorick Bland (disambiguation), several people
* Tony Bland (1970–1993), an injured British man who was the subject of a notable court case
* Violet Bland (1863–1940), English suffragette
* William Bland (disambiguation), several people
* Seven Bland baronets, all with the surname Bland