Baillart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The name Baillart is a Norman name that is a part of the ancient legacy of the Medieval France. The proud name of Baillart was originally used as a nickname for a bald person. 1 The surname Baillart is derived from the Old Norse word "bolle", and the Old English word "ballede", both meaning "ball". It was used as a reference to something round and smooth.

Alternatively, the name could have been an occupational name as a "baillard" is a "piece of wood to carry the wool that is drawn from the water, and which crosses the boiler to be degreased." 2

Early Origins of the Baillart family

The surname Baillart was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family established itself in ancient times.

The family can be traced back to Roger Baillard, who paid homage to the priest at Mont Saint-Michel in 1154. Some members of this ancient and illustrious family also branched into other regions of France. 3

According to historic documents, the family was registered in Tours, in 1262. In Burgundy, the family settled in De Bargon, a town in the department of Côte-d'Or, in the district of Dijon. In the 16th century, one branch was formed in Loudigny, in Angoumois.

For nearly 200 years, the Ballard family of printers "virtually enjoyed the monopoly of printing music in France. The first patent was granted to Robert Ballard by Henri II in 1552, and he and his son-in law Adrien Leroy printed many tablatures for the lute and other music. They were followed by Pierre, and he again by his son Robert, under whom the house rose to its greatest height both in privileges and position." 4

Early History of the Baillart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baillart research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1696, 1759, 1806 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Baillart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baillart Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Baillart some of which are Baillargeon, Baillergeon, Baillarger, Baillerger, Baillarget, Baillerget, Baillargean, Baillergean, Baillerg, Baillargé, Baillard, Baillardel, Baillart and many more.

Early Notables of the Baillart family

Notable amongst the family in this period was Pierre Baillardel de Lareinty, one of the organizers of the colonies in the West Indies and a militia officer of the...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baillart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Baillart family

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Baillart has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Baillart were the branch Baillargeon, which was established in Canada through Jean, born in 1612 and married in 1659 in Quebec. He was the ancestor of a great archbishop of Quebec. Jacob Baillargeau settled in New York in 1701.

Citations +

Dauzat, Albert, Morlet, Marie-Thérèse, Dictionaire Étymologique des Noms et Prénoms de France. Paris: Librairie Larousse, 1987. Print.
Dionne, N.-E., Les Canadiens-Francais Origine Des Familles. Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 1969. Print
Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Grove, Sir George, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (AD. 1450-1889) London: Macmillan1902, Print, 2 Vols