Baldrick

This unusual name is of English origin from a Germanic personal name, "Baldric", introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066 in the Old French forms "Baldri", "Baudri". The personal name is composed of the elements, "bald", meaning "bold, brave" and "ric" meaning "power" or "rule". There is thought to have been an Old English pre 7th Century equivalent, "Bealdric", since there are records of such forms as "Belrich", "Balrich" and "Baldrich", i.e. Old English formations, being still in use after the Conquest. Modern-day bearers of the name, however are chiefly descended from the Norman forms of "Baldric". There are at least eleven existing variations of the surname, ranging from "Baldree, Baldry and Baudry" to "Baldery, Boldero(e) and Boldra". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Baldri, which was dated 1185, in the Records of the Templars, Hertfordshire, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as the builder of Churches, 1154 - 1189. 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.