Baillet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Early Origins of the Baillet family

The surname Baillet was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Coddenham, held by Ralph de Limesy, a Norman Baron who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Baillet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baillet research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1542, 1560 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Baillet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baillet Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Ballet, Ballett, Ballette, Bailet, Baillet, Baillett and many more.

Early Notables of the Baillet family

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

Baillet Ranking

In France, the name Baillet is the 1,185^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,687 people with that name. 2

Baillet migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Baillet or a variant listed above:

Baillet Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Amedee-Gaston Baillet, who settled in Louisiana at the age of 21 in 1719

Baillet Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frans Baillet, who settled in Philadelphia in 1804

Contemporary Notables of the name Baillet (post 1700) +

Louis Willibrod Antoine de Baillet de Latour, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3
Claire Baillet, Rhumatologist, Paris
Hubert Baillet, Physician, Paris
Bruno Baillet, Dental Surgeon, Paris

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Louis Baillet. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html