Ballam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the name Ballam date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Ballam family lived in Suffolk, where they held a family seat in the village of Baylham, from which they took their name.

Early Origins of the Ballam family

The surname Ballam was first found in Suffolk, in the village and civil parish of Baylham. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Beleham and probably meant "homestead or enclosure at a river-bend" from the Old English words "begel" + "ham" or "hamm." [1]

The parish, in the union and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, East division of Suffolk, 3 miles from Needham-Market was small but contained about 275 inhabitants in the late 1890s. [2]

Early History of the Ballam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballam research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1212, 1275, 1500, 1568, 1577, 1600, 1635, 1642, 1684 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Ballam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballam Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Ballam are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Ballam include: Baalham, Balan, Baylham, Balum, Balam, Ballam, Balaam and many more.

Early Notables of the Ballam family

More information is included under the topic Early Ballam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ballam family to Ireland

Some of the Ballam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballam migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ballam Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Ballam, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Ballam (post 1700) +

John J. "Johnny" Ballam (1882-1954), American Marxist political activist and trade union organizer, founding member of the Communist Party of America and leader of the Trade Union Unity League
Michael Ballam (b. 1952), American general director of the Utah Festival Opera, a professor of music at Utah State University
Louis S. Ballam, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Walpole, 1956 [4]
John J. Ballam, American politician, Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, 1924, 1932; Workers Candidate for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, 1926, 1928; Candidate for Governor of New Jersey, 1931 [4]
Charles H. Ballam (1901-1981), Newfoundland-born, Canadian union leader, officeholder and delegate at Newfoundland National Convention

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html