Baln History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Baln

What does the name Baln mean?

Baln is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the township of Balne, in the parish of Snaith, Lower division of the wapentake of Osgoldcross in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 Interestingly, Balne dates back to the 12th century when is was first listed with the same spelling used today, Balne - very few villages have held that same spelling over the centuries. It is thought that the place name meant "a bathing place," from the Latin word "balneum." 2

Early Origins of the Baln family

The surname Baln was first found in Yorkshire, where Robert de Balne was registered in Yorkshire in 1175. Early in the family's history they branched to Cornwall, where Alice de Balne was recorded in 1297. 3

By the time of the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, a stronghold of the family was found in the parish of Wadworth, again in the West Riding of Yorkshire. For it is here that Johannes Balm; Willelmus de Balne; Emma de Balne; and Thomas de Balme all held lands at that time. 4

Also of note was Henry de Balnea (fl. 1400?), an English monk of the Carthusian order, "author of a work entitled 'Speculum Spiritualium,' which was preserved at Norwich in Tanner's days. " 5

Early History of the Baln family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baln research. Another 169 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1500 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Baln History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baln Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Baln family name include Balm, Balme, Baln, Balne, Ballm, Ballme, Ballne and others.

Early Notables of the Baln family

Robert de Balne, a prominent 12th century landholder in Yorkshire

Migration of the Baln family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Baln surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Sophie Balm, who arrived in Texas in 1845. William Balm sailed to Delaware in 1855.

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print