Spanish form of Blaise, from Latin 'blaesus' meaning 'lisping'; also linked to Saint Blaise.
Blas is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Blaise, derived from the Latin *blaesus*, meaning one who speaks with a lisp or stammer. The name is most powerfully associated with Saint Blaise (San Blas), a 4th-century bishop of Sebastea in Armenia who was martyred under the Roman emperor Licinius and became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers — a group of saints venerated in medieval Catholic tradition for their efficacy against specific ailments. Saint Blaise is the patron of throat diseases, and the Blessing of the Throats performed on his feast day (February 3rd) with crossed candles remains a practiced Catholic ritual to this day.
In the Spanish-speaking world, Blas is a traditional name with deep roots and strong regional character. The Canary Islands host the famous pilgrimage town of San Blas, and throughout Latin America the feast of San Blas is celebrated with particular devotion in countries like Paraguay, where it is the patronal feast of the nation. The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal — born in 1623 — gave the name towering intellectual prestige, lending it associations with probability theory, the calculating machine, and some of the most searching religious philosophy of the 17th century.
In the English-speaking world, Blas reads as refreshingly unusual — a one-syllable Hispanic name with ancient Christian roots and a patron saint of enduring cultural relevance. It is short, direct, and carries centuries of Mediterranean and Latin American devotion in its single syllable.