Etymology and Color OriginBlue is an English given name derived directly from the word for the color blue. The color term entered English through Norman French bleu, from a Frankish root, replacing the native Old English cognate blaw. As a color name, blue describes a range of hues with a dominant wavelength between approximately 450 and 495 nanometres — the color of the clear sky and deep sea, caused by Rayleigh scattering and other optical effects.Name UsageThough color names have been used sporadically (e.g., Amber, Violet), Blue remains rare. Its most famous bearer is Blue Ivy Carter, born in 2012 as the first daughter of American musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Despite this high-profile use, the name has not entered common use in the United States and is still considered unconventional. Blue is occasionally used as a middle name. Blu is a less common respelling variant. For girls, there is a parallel trend with the color Violet, which is far more popular. In the name tradition, early non-color surname uses derived from place names (e.g., one who lived near a blaw 'blue' hill or stream) preceded its use as a personal name.Cultural ContextBlue as a cultural symbol has deep roots: lapis lazuli from mines in Afghanistan was prized in ancient Egypt and used in Renaissance ultramarine, the sumptuous pigment reserved for the Virgin Mary's robe. The phrase "something blue" in wedding tradition carries the color as a talisman of love and fidelity. That same symbolic calmness and clarity — but also sadness ('feeling blue') — informs very sporadic choices of it as a given name.Meaning: English color word for the primary hue between violet and cyanOrigin: Frankish/Germanic via Norman FrenchType: Unisex, modern given nameUsage: Predominantly American, rareRelated: Blu (respelling), Violet (a parallel color name)