Balcer Surname History

Origins Available:
England

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Balcer come from when the family resided in Hertfordshire. The name was taken from the market town of Baldock in Hertfordshire. This place name is of an unusual Arabic derivation. The town was named by the Knights Templar, who held a manor in the area in the 12th century, after the city of Baghdad, which was spelled Baldac in Old English. It means the city of Dat.

Early Origins of the Balcer family

The surname Balcer was first found in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

One of the first records of the family was Ralph de Baldock (d. 1313), "Bishop of London and Lord Chancellor, whose early history is unknown, first appears in 1271 as holding the prebendal stall of Holborn, in which Robert Burnel, Edward I's great chancellor, had preceded him. Robert de Baldock (d. 1327), was Lord Chancellor, [and] first appears in the records as obtaining a grant of the royal rights over a manor in Surrey in 1287." 1

Early History of the Balcer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balcer research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1327, 1500, 1624 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Balcer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balcer Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Balcer has been recorded under many different variations, including Baldock, Balldock, Balldcock, Baldcock and others.

Early Notables of the Balcer family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Robert Baldock (c.1624-1691), an English judge who claimed descent from Robert de Baldock, Lord Chancellor in Essex during King Edward's reign...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Balcer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Balcer family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Balcer or a variant listed above: Dasey Baldock, who came to Virginia in 1638; Sarah Baldock, who arrived in Maryland in 1774; Richard Baldock, who settled in Rappahannock Virginia in 1747.

Contemporary Notables of the name Balcer (post 1700) +

Frank J. Balcer Sr. (1896-1992), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Tuscola County, 1958, 1960 2
Frank Adelbert Balcer Jr. (1889-1965), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 8th District, 1961-62 2
Floyd Balcer, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate 16th District, 1932 2

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html