The English surname Blankenship is a variant of the English surname Blenkinsop, a habitational name from a place called Blenkinsopp in Northumberland. The name Blankenship is primarily forund in northern England. One Thomas Blenkinship marrying Isabella Ostel at Manchester Cathedral on December 6th 1873. The earliestrecord of the name is shown to be that of John Blenkinson (Freeman of the City), which was dated 1553, Yorkshire. The name is first recorded in the United States in 1866. A notable bearer of the name is the acclaimed American computer hacker Loyd Blankenship.