Show ContentsBallendink History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Scotland, Ballendink was a Strathclyde-Briton name for someone who lived in Roxburghshire, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages. One source claims the name was of local origin and denoted "a place of ancient pagan worship among the Celts, whose principal deity was Belen or Baal, the sun. To the honor of this deity, the Celts lighted fires on the 1st of May and Midsummer day. Baalantine signifies 'the fire of Baal,' from Baden and teine, Gaelic, fire. " 1 2

Early Origins of the Ballendink family

The surname Ballendink was first found in Roxburghshire "probably from the lands of Bellenden in the parish of Roberton. There is also a Ballinton, Ballintoun or Ballintome mentioned in Stirling Retours. " 3 4

"This Scottish name has undergone remarkable changes. 'Sir Richard of Bannochtine of the Corhous,' who flourished c. 1460, sometimes wrote himself Bannachty, and his son is called Sir John Bannatyne. This spelling continued till temp. Charles. II., when the proprietor of Corhouse was called indifferently John Bannatyne and Johne Ballentyne, and his son is described as the son of John Ballenden. In fact, down to a recent period, the forms Bannatyne and Ballantyne have been used indifferently by brothers of one house, and even by the same individual at different times. " 5

Early History of the Ballendink family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballendink research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1153, 1460, 1545, 1553, 1563, 1577, 1591, 1605, 1608, 1616, 1630, 1642, 1661, 1671, 1680, 1800 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ballendink History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballendink Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Ballendink has been spelled Ballentine, Ballantyne, Ballantine, Ballentyne, Bannentyne, Bannantyne, Ballanden, Ballanden, Ballendine, Ballendyne, Ballentine and many more.

Early Notables of the Ballendink family

Notable amongst the family at this time was George Bannatyne (1545-1608), collector of Scottish poems, eponym of the Bannatyne Club in Edinburgh, he was the seventh of the twenty-three children of James Bannatyne of Kirktown of Newtyle in Forfarshire; Richard Bannatyne (died 1605), Scottish clergyman and scribe who served as secretary to John Knox; Sir James Bellenden of Broughton; William Bellenden, Lord Bellenden (died 1671), Treasurer-Depute of Scotland; and William Ballenden or Ballantyne (1616-1661), Scottish divine and a prefect-apostolic of the Roman Catholic church, a native of Douglas, Lanarkshire. 6 John...
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ballendink Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Ballendink family to Ireland

Some of the Ballendink family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ballendink family

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: Dougal Ballentine who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767; William Ballintin, who settled in Philadelphia in 1802; and George Bennantine, who settled in Philadelphia in 1853. When the Latter Day Saint movement was getting started in the United States, and about the time they had settled in Nauvoo, missionaries were sent into Great Britain. One man who was particularly impressed by the message of these missionaries was John Ballantyne, a poor farm worker who lived in Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland with his wife Janet and nine children. John and his family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints there in Scotland. Then he and a group of other Saints decided to move to Nauvoo, Illinois. So together they chartered a sailing vessel, the “.



  1. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  2. Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
  3. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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