Hallen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Norway
Scotland

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Hallen is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Hallam, a place name found in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. In the Domesday Book of 1086, this place is called Hallum. 1 In Yorkshire, Hallam is found in the South Riding.

Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old Scandinavian word hallr, or from the Old English word hall, both of which meant "stony." The place name meant "the stony place, the place at the rocks." 2

In Derbyshire there is a place called West Hallam and another called Kirk Hallam. These names are derived from the Old English word halh, which meant "remote nook of land." Kirk in the Old English meat "church;" the name as a whole would be "church in a remote place," while West Hallam was a "remote place in the west." 3

Early Origins of the Hallen family

The surname Hallen was first found in Yorkshire at Hallam or perhaps at Halling, a village on the North Downs in the northern part of Kent that dates back to Saxon times in the 8th century when it was first listed as Hallingas. 3

By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name was known as Hallinges, 1 and literally meant "settlement of the family of a man called Heall, " from the Old English personal name + "ingas." 3

A scan of early rolls revealed Adam de Hallum in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297 and John de Hallum in Lancashire in 1328. Richard de Halom was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327 and Henry de Halom held lands in Yorkshire in 1392. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Hallom and Elena de Hallum. 5

In Scotland, the name was "probably a late introduction from England. Janet Hallam was in the Carse of Twynholm, 1758. John Hallum or Hallume was hanged for being a Covenanter, 1685." 6

Early History of the Hallen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hallen research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1360, 1370, 1403, 1405, 1417 and 1537 are included under the topic Early Hallen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hallen Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Hallen has been spelled many different ways, including Hallam, Halam, Hallum and others.

Early Notables of the Hallen family

Notables of the family at this time include Robert Hallam (d. 1417), an English churchman, Bishop of Salisbury and English representative at the Council of Constance. He was Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1403 to 1405. He was born probably between 1360 and 1370, and educated at Oxford. 7John Hallam (d. 1537), was an English "conspirator, a native of Cawkill, Yorkshire, and had much local influence and popularity. A determined Romanist he strenuously opposed the king's supremacy and the suppression of the monasteries. When the priest announced at Kilnskill that the king had suppressed St. Wilfrid's day, Hallam angrily...
Another 112 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hallen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hallen migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Hallens to arrive in North America:

Hallen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Hallen, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1863 8
Gottlieb Hallen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1880 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Hallen (post 1700) +

Robert Joseph Hallen (b. 1975), former American NFL football player
Arvid Hallén (b. 1950), Norwegian sociologist, Director-General of the Research Council of Norway (2004-)
Johan Andreas Hallén (1846-1925), Swedish composer, conductor and music teacher
Yngve Hallèn (b. 1968), Norwegian current president of the Norwegian Football Association
Frederick Hallen (1859-1920), Canadian-born vaudeville entertainer
Sir Gerald Hallen Creasy KCMG, OBE (1897-1983), British colonial administrator, Governor of the Gold Coast and Malta
Hallen M. Bell, American politician, Farmer-Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 6th District, 1922; Socialist Candidate for Secretary of State of Michigan, 1930 9

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html