BALLANCE

Ballance is an English surname that originates from the Anglo-French word balance, which entered Middle English as a term meaning a pair of scales or a measuring device. The name is generally considered to be a metonymic occupational name for an individual who used a balance, often for weighing goods or assessing weights in commercial transactions. It may also have been applied to a moneylender, who would have been expected to have a firm grasp of value and fair dealings.

The earliest documented appearance of the surname dates to 1196, when a witness named Roger Balance is recorded in the Feet of Fines of Warwickshire. This document was produced during the reign of King Richard I, whose reign spanned 1189 to 1199. The entry establishes that the name was in use in the West Midlands of England in the late twelfth century.

Subsequent medieval records confirm the persistence of the name. In 1221, a Roger Balaunce is listed as a witness in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire. A further reference from 1283 names Thomas le Balauncer in the Calendar of Letter Books of the city of London, indicating that individuals bearing the surname had relocated to or were active in the capital by the late thirteenth century.

The spelling of the surname varied considerably in the early records: styles such as Ballans and Ballence appear in different documents. Such variations are typical of the period, when spelling was far from standardised and clerks wrote names phonetically.

In the seventeenth century, parish registers from London provide further evidence of the surname’s survivorship. On 11 September 1642, a daughter of Edward Ballance was christened at St. Lawrence Jewry; her son Samuell was christened the following year, 2 October 1643, at St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street. In 1650, Sarah, daughter of Edward and Dorcas Ballance, was christened at St. Martin Pomeroy. On 27 August 1672, Edward Ballence married Joanna Stephenson at St. Dunstan in the East, Stepney. These records illustrate that the surname persisted in urban London households during this period.

Geographically, the surname has its roots in the British Isles, with the majority of its early records located in England. The name does not appear to have been widely transposed beyond England in the medieval or early modern periods, reflecting a relatively localised distribution within the country.

In contemporary records, the surname remains present in England, albeit it is not among the most common family names. The extant historical documents provide a reliable outline of its origin, meaning, and early usage, preserving the legacy of the family name for modern genealogical study.

Typical given names associated with the Ballance surname

Male

• Christopher
• Clive
• David
• James
• John
• Mark
• Michael
• Peter
• Philip
• Robert
• William

Female

• Alisan
• Christine
• Elizabeth
• Emily
• Gail
• Harriet
• Jennifer
• Margaret
• Mary
• Michelle
• Pamela
• Rachel
• Rebecca

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Ballance in...

Braille

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Morse

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Semaphore

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Ballance

• Gary Ballance - Cricketer
• John Ballance - 14th Premier of New Zealand (1839 to 1893)

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

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