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Balls History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Balls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Balls

What does the name Balls mean?

The name Balls comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person who was bald deriving its origin from the Old English word Bealla, which meant bald. The surname may also refer to someone who had a rotund or stocky stature. 1

While many researchers share this same "nickname" origin of the name, Henry Brougham Guppy in 1890, wrote "The idea that these names originated from bald - headed ancestors is, I think, absurd. Camden, in his remarks on surnames, written some 300 years ago, informs us that Baul and Bald were then nicknames or nursenames for Baldwin, and it was evidently from this source that Mr. Lower borrowed the suggestion that Ball was a nickname of Baldwin." 2

Early Origins of the Balls family

The surname Balls was first found in the "west side of England, being at present most numerous in Lancashire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. This surname must be distinguished in its distribution from Balls, which is restricted to the opposite or east side of England, in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. It is remarkable that after the lapse of six centuries Balls remains doggedly in the same part of England, whilst Ball and Baldwin seem to have extended their areas westward. In Norfolk three centuries ago Balls was sometimes spelt Balles or Ballis. " 2

The earliest record of the family was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 which reflected the scattered occurrences of the family and early spellings recorded: Custance Balde, Cambridgeshire; Richard Bald, Oxfordshire; John Balle, Norfolk; and Albred Balle, Huntingdonshire. 1

Kirby's Quest had several entries: John Balde, Somerset, 1 Edward III (recorded during the first year's reign of Edward III.) John atte Balle, Somerset, 1 Edward III; and Henry atte Balle, Somerset, 1 Edward III. 3

John Ball (d. 1381), was an early English priest, who provoked the insurrection of Wat Tyler. As a result of his actions, he was "brought before the king at St. Albans, where he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered as a traitor. The sentence seems to have been promptly carried out, and the king himself witnessed its execution at St. Albans on 15 July. " 4

Early History of the Balls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balls research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1381, 1530, 1553, 1585, 1590, 1623, 1626, 1631, 1637, 1640, 1659, 1664, 1665, 1675, 1680, 1681, 1690, 1745, 1887, 1890 and 1992 are included under the topic Early Balls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balls Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Balls has undergone many spelling variations, including Ball, Balle, Balls, Balders and others.

Early Notables of the Balls family

Notables of the family at this time include John Ball (1585-1640), English Puritan divine, born at Cassington, Oxfordshire, in October 1585.Thomas Ball (1590-1659), was an English divine, born at Aberbury in Shropshire. "His parents were of 'good and honest repute,' having neither 'superfluity nor want.' " 4William Ball or Balle (c. 1631-1690), was an early an English astronomer, one of the founding Fellows of the Royal Society. He was the eldest of seventeen children born to Sir Peter Ball, knight, recorder of Exeter and attorney-general to the queen in the reigns of Charles...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Balls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balls Ranking

In the United States, the name Balls is the 15,928^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Balls family to Ireland

Some of the Balls family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 181 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balls migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Balls were among those contributors:

Balls Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Robert Balls, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Dorothy Balls, who arrived in America in 1654 6
Walter Balls, who landed in Virginia in 1697 6

Balls Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Balls, who arrived in America in 1760 6

Balls Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Noah Balls, who settled in New Orleans La. in 1821
James Balls, who settled in New York in New York State in 1822
Mr. Grove Balls, (b. 1803), aged 29, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth aboard the ship “Andromeda” arriving in the United States on 10th May 1832 7
Mrs. Sarah Balls, (b. 1803), aged 29, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth aboard the ship “Andromeda” arriving in the United States on 10th May 1832 7
Miss Jane Balls, (b. 1830), aged 2, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth aboard the ship “Andromeda” arriving in the United States on 10th May 1832 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Balls Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Jens J E Balls, who landed in Arkansas in 1903 6

Balls migration to Australia +

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

Balls Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Balls Jr., English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Stephen Balls, English convict from Suffolk, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. James Balls, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. William Coleman Balls, (Ball), (b. 1790), aged 56, English carpenter who was convicted in London, England for 10 years for fraud, transported aboard the "China" on 12th January 1846, arriving in Norfolk Island, Australia, he died in 1876 11
Henry Balls, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Poictiers" in 1848 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Balls 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:

Balls Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Balls, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 13
Mr. George Balls, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 13
Miss Martha Balls, (b. 1838), aged 31, British cook travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th September 1869 13
Thomas Balls, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1872
James Balls, aged 28, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Balls (post 1700) +

Balls Mahoney (1972-2016), ring name of Jonathan Rechner, an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling

Historic Events for the Balls family +

HMS Royal Oak

Harold Edgar Balls (1902-1939), British Captain with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 14

The Balls Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fulcrum dignitatis virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue is the support of dignity

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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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.
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 5th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/china
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) POICTIERS 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Poictiers.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html