The Dublin suburb of Blanchardstown is named after the Blanchard family who were granted lands there in the mid-13th century.
The personal name Blanchard is thought to be of French origin, likely derived from the word Blanchart used for someone with white or fair hair or complexion, and also an old term for a white horse.
Until the mid-1960s, Blanchardstown was a rural village, but development of housing estates over the following 30 years saw it grow considerably to become a large suburban community of Dublin.
