Ballard

Ballard
This unusual name is recorded in many spelling forms including Bullard, Ballard, Belward, Bellyard, Bil(l)yard, and Bellard. It is an example of that sizeable group of early surnames that were created from the habitual use of nicknames. These were usually given with reference to a variety of characteristics, such as physical attributes and moral characteristics, although habits of dress and occupation were also common. In this case, the surname originated as a medieval English nickname for a bald-headed man. The derivation is from the Middle English "bal(le)", used in the transferred sense of a hairless patch on the skull, with the addition of the Angl-Saxon suffix "ard", whose precise translation is uncertain. Early examples of the surname recordings include those of Alured Balard in Essex in 1273 and Geoffrey Bolhard of Warwick in 1275. Later recordings are those of Moyses Billiard, a witness at St Botolphs church, Bishopgate, London, on October 10th 1631, whilst on March 31st 1634, John Bilyard was christened at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney. On July 15th 1635, William Ballard, aged 32 yrs., together with his wife, Elizabeth, aged 26 yrs., and children, Hester and Jo, aged respectively one year and 2 yrs., embarked from London on the ship "James" bound for New England. They were among the earliest recorded namebearers to settle in America. A Coat of Arms granted to the Ballard family is black with a griffin segreant ermine, the Crest being a griffin's head erased ermine. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Peter Ballard, which was dated 1196, in the "Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire", during the reign of King Richard 1st, known as "Richard the Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Ballard — ist der Name folgender Orte in den Vereinigten Staaten: Ballard (Arkansas) Ballard (Kalifornien) Ballard (Kentucky) Ballard (Maryland) Ballard (Mississippi) Ballard (Missouri) Ballard (North Carolina) Ballard (Oklahoma) Ballard (Utah) Ballard… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ballard — is a name used for a variety of people, places, and organizations:Places*Ballard, California *Ballard, Utah *Ballard, Seattle, Washington, a neighborhood that was once a city before being annexed by Seattle in the early 20th century *Ballard… …   Wikipedia

  • Ballard — Ballard, UT U.S. town in Utah Population (2000): 566 Housing Units (2000): 196 Land area (2000): 13.996287 sq. miles (36.250215 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 13.996287 sq. miles (36.250215 sq.… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Ballard, UT — U.S. town in Utah Population (2000): 566 Housing Units (2000): 196 Land area (2000): 13.996287 sq. miles (36.250215 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 13.996287 sq. miles (36.250215 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Ballard — (spr. Ballard), Canton im westlichen Theile des Staates Kentucky in den Vereinigten Staaten, an Missouri u. Illinois grenzend, von welchem letzteren Staate es durch den Ohio getrennt ist; Boden wellenförmig, im Süden fruchtbar, im Norden arm;… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Ballard — surname, attested from late 12c., probably meaning bald head; Cf. Wyclif Stye up, ballard, where Coverdale translates Come vp here thou balde heade [2 Kg.2:23 24, where God kills 42 children for making fun of Elijah s lack of hair.] …   Etymology dictionary

  • Ballard —   [ bæləd], James Graham, englischer Schriftsteller, * Schanghai 15. 11. 1930; verfasste Sciencefictionkurzgeschichten und Romane mit zunehmend psychologischer Ausrichtung; literarische Anerkennung erlangte er seit dem autobiographischen,… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Ballard — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Carroll Ballard : réalisateur américain. Christophe Ballard, imprimeur libraire en musique, fils et successeur du précédent, travaille à Paris de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ballard, J.G. — ▪ British author in full  James Graham Ballard   born Nov. 15, 1930, Shanghai, China       British author of science fiction set in ecologically unbalanced landscapes caused by decadent technological excess.       The son of a British business… …   Universalium

  • Ballard — (James Graham Ballard 1930– ) a British author born in China who is best known for his science fiction novels and short stories, and for Empire of the Sun (1984), about a boy’s experiences in a Japanese prison camp during World War II. It was… …   Universalium

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