Origins of the Ball surname

What does the name Ball mean?

The Ball surname is thought to be English. It is believed to be a patronymic name. It would have been given to those who were the son or descendant of 'Baldwin' or 'Bald' (the diminutive form of this name), a common Anglo-Norman name. The surname was found first in the 1200s, and has spread across Britain over the centuries following.

Alternative variations of the name Ball

Ball, Balle, Bal, Bawle, Bawl

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Delve deeper into the Ball family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 613North West 1017Isle of Man 67Yorkshire 2272East Midlands 1748West Midlands 3582East 1041London 6663South East 2244South West 1207South Wales 408Mid Wales 54West Wales 3North Wales 52Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Balls lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

36,000 Ball Travel & migration records
270,000 Balls found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Ball

How common is your surname?

126th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Ball surname. The oldest one dates back to 1532.

Who were Balls most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Balls.

What are the most common Ball first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Ball family members
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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Balls

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Commmon female occupations for Balls in 1921

Dressmaker

1,089

Laundress

784

Domestic Servant

622

General Servant Domestic

613

General Servant

466

Commmon male occupations for Balls in 1921

Coal Miner

1,678

Agricultural Labourer

995

General Labourer

920

Farmer

754

Farm Labourer

667

We found over 430,000 family trees with the Ball surname

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