Contents [hide]

Ballentine History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Ballentine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The name Ballentine was first used by the ancient Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The first Ballentine to use this name no doubt 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 Ballentine family

The surname Ballentine 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 Ballentine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballentine 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 Ballentine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballentine Spelling Variations

Scribes in Medieval Scotland spelled names by sound rather than any set of rules, so an enormous number of spelling variations exist in names of that era. Ballentine has been spelled Ballentine, Ballantyne, Ballantine, Ballentyne, Bannentyne, Bannantyne, Ballanden, Ballanden, Ballendine, Ballendyne, Ballentine and many more.

Early Notables of the Ballentine 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. 6John...
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ballentine Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballentine Ranking

In the United States, the name Ballentine is the 9,061^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Ballentine family to Ireland

Some of the Ballentine 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.

Ballentine migration to the United States +

The number of Strathclyde Clan families sailing for North America increased steadily as the persecution continued. In the colonies, they could find not only freedom from the iron hand of the English government, but land to settle on. The American War of Independence allowed many of these settlers to prove their independence, while some chose to go to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots played essential roles in the forging of both great nations. Among them:

Ballentine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Dougal Ballentine who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767
John Ballentine, who arrived in America in 1785 8

Ballentine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Ballentine, who landed in New York in 1801 8
A Ballentine, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 8
Thomas Ballentine, who arrived in America in 1831 8
Samuel Ballentine, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1835 8
Hugh Ballentine, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1840 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ballentine migration to Australia +

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

Ballentine Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Ballentine, English convict who was convicted in Isle of Wight, England for life, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
David Ballentine, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stratheden" in 1850 10
Margaret Ballentine, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stratheden" in 1850 10

Ballentine migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ballentine Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Ballentine, (b. 1851), aged 25, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Timaru" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1876 11
Peter Ballentine, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Closeburn" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Ballentine (post 1700) +

Warren Ballentine (b. 1973), American motivational speaker, attorney, political activist, and radio talk show
Robert Ballentine, American second unit director
Lynton Yates Ballentine (1899-1964), American politician and dairy farmer, 20th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (1945 to 1949)
Nathan Ballentine (b. 1970), American politician, Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (2005-)
John Goff Ballentine (1825-1915), American politician, Member of the United States House of Representatives (1883-1887)
Krim Ballentine, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virgin Islands, 1988, 2008 12
J. W. Ballentine, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Idaho, 1904 12
George Ballentine, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Ballymena, 1871-93 12
Duncan Ballentine, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1884 12
Douglas K. Ballentine, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Buenos Aires, 1945-46 12
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
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)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The STRATHEDEN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Stratheden.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html