Ballord History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ballord comes from a name for a person known for their lack of hair. As a point of interest, the name is derived from the Old English word ball-ard, which means a bald headed man. 1

Another source claims the name was Celtic or Gaelic in origin "from Ball, a place, a round elevation; and ard, high. The Gaelic word Ballart signifies noisy, boasting. Bal also signifies a lord, and ard, high." 2 Yet another source claims the name was "an ancient baptismal name, Balard." 3

Early Origins of the Ballord family

The surname Ballord was first found in various counties and shire of England. Various sources claim different first records of the family. "Ballard is another old Kent name. The Ballards owned Sapinton manor from the time of Henry IV. until that of Philip and Mary. Robert Ballard, butler of Richard II., received from his Sovereign the manor of West Combe. In the reign of Henry VI., Thomas Ballard, of Horton Parva, was one of the sheriffs of Kent." 4

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. The Curia Regis Rolls of 1196 listed Peter Ballard as holding lands in Northumberland at that time and later Adam Ballard holding lands in Cambridgeshire in 1210. Eluding to aforementioned "bald head" nickname, we found Robert Balheved in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1316 and later, Thomas Balhefd in Suffolk in 1402. 5

The source Kirby's Quest notes that that during the time of Edward III, Richard Balleheved and Petrr Ballard were listed in Somerset. 6 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Alurell Balard in Essex; Dreu Ballard in Huntingdonshire; and Thomas Ballard in Somerset. 1

Early History of the Ballord family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballord research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1489, 1586, 1615, 1630, 1634, 1651, 1653, 1654, 1657, 1680, 1682, 1689 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Ballord History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballord Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Ballord include Ballard, Bellard, Bellhird, Belhyrd, Bellerd, Bellird, Belard, Balard, Ballird and many more.

Early Notables of the Ballord family

Distinguished members of the family include John Ballard (d. 1586), English Roman Catholic priest who owes his fame solely to his connection with the Babington conspiracy; Colonel Thomas Ballard (1630-1689) English-born, early American colonial Virginia landowner and politician, Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses 1680-1682; and his son, Colonel...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ballord Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballord migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ballord or a variant listed above:

Ballord Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Ballord, who arrived in Boston in 1635
William Ballord, who settled in Boston in 1635
Hester Ballord, who arrived in Boston in 1635
Elizabeth Ballord, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1635
William Ballord, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 7

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)