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Ballou History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Ballou History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Ballou is a name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066. The Ballou family lived in Cheshire where they were first established at Moreton on the Wirral Peninsula. Originally, the name was a variation of the Old French belleau or bella aqua, which means good water or clear water and likely is derived from the name of any number of locations so named in Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Ballou family

The surname Ballou was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Moreton in the Wirral Peninsula. The name of the Norman noble who was granted lands at Moreton was interchangeably Bellet or Bellot of Callouville in Normandy, but emerged in the 12th century as Bellow or Bellows. The family held a family seat at Moreton at the time of the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066 A.D. Moreton is now a seaside resort. East Rudham, Norfolk was "anciently the property of the family of Belet." 2

"The Bellets were early seated in Norfolk, and became subsequently located in Cheshire by the marriage of John Bellet, Esq., temp. Henry VI., with Katherine, sister and heir of Ralph Moreton, of Great Moreton, in the Palatinate." 3

Michael Belet (fl. 1182), was an English judge, Sheriff of Worcestershire 1176-1181 and again in 1184, of Wiltshire 1180-1182, of Leicestershire and Warwickshire in conjunction with Ralph Glanvill 1185-1187, and alone 1189-1200. 4

Michael Belet (fl. 1238), another English judge, was the second son of the aforementioned Michael Belet; he is commonly styled Magister Michael Belet on account of his profession of civilian and canonist. 4

Wroxton in Oxfordshire was also and ancient family seat. "This place was distinguished for an extensive monastery, founded for a prior and brethren of the Augustine order, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, about the year 1230, by Michael Belet, who endowed it with the lordships of Wroxton and Balscot." 2

Early History of the Ballou family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballou research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1596, 1604, 1612 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Ballou History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballou Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Bellowe, Bellow, Bellows, Bellot, Bellet, Bellett, Bellowes, Beloe, Belloe, Bellough, Belloes, Beloes, Belloughs, Ballot, Ballott, Ballow, Ballowe, Ballows, Ballowes and many more.

Early Notables of the Ballou family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Bellows of Moreton. Stephen Bellott, a Huguenot, sued his father-in-law Christopher Mountjoy in what became known in British law as Bellott v. Mountjoy which was heard at the Court of Requests in Westminster on 11 May 1612. While the case is of little significance, interestingly William Shakespeare was called before the court and admitted that he had played...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ballou Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballou Ranking

In the United States, the name Ballou is the 4,837^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Ballou family to Ireland

Some of the Ballou 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.

Ballou migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Ballou or a variant listed above were:

Ballou Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Maturin Ballou, who arrived in Providence, Rhode Island in 1639 6
William Ballou, who landed in Providence, Rhode Island in 1644 6
Mathurin Ballou, who landed in Providence, Rhode Island in 1645 6

Ballou Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Ballou, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1750 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Ballou (post 1700) +

Noble Winfred Ballou (1897-1963), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1925 to 1929
Tyson Brett Ballou (b. 1976), American model
Mikell Randolph "Mike" Ballou (b. 1947), American NFL linebacker who played for the Boston Patriots in 1970
Sullivan Ballou (1829-1861), American lawyer, politician and officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War
Maturin Murray Ballou (1820-1895), American writer and publisher, co-founder of Gleason's Pictorial, was the first editor of the Boston Daily Globe
Mary Ballou (1809-1904), American memoirist
Latimer Whipple Ballou (1812-1900), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island (1875-1881)
Hosea Ballou II (1796-1861), American Universalist minister, the 1st President of Tufts University from 1853 to 1861
Esther Williamson Ballou (1915-1973), American music educator, organist and composer
Emily Ballou, American multiple award winning poet, novelist and screenwriter
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Ballou Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vita et pectore puro
Motto Translation: With pure life and heart.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)