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Bale History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Bale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France-Alt
France

Etymology of Bale

What does the name Bale mean?

The name Bale arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bale family lived in Norfolk, where they were found since the early Middle Ages in England from ancient times. The surname, however, derives from the area of Besle in Normandy, where they lived prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066. There is some debate as to whether this name is related to the name "Bailey", which is of occupational derivation, and refers to a Norman civil office similar to that of a sheriff or viscount.

Early Origins of the Bale family

The surname Bale was first found in Norfolk at Bale, a village within the civil parish of Gunthorpe which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Bathele. 1 The place name literally means "woodland or clearing where there are springs used for bathing." 2 The All Saints parish church dates back to the middle of the 14th century.

Early History of the Bale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bale research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1461, 1495, 1503, 1547, 1563, 1564, 1590, 1595, 1610, 1617, 1624 and 1654 are included under the topic Early Bale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bale Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Bale, Bales and others.

Early Notables of the Bale family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Bale (1495-1563), Bishop of Ossory, born at the little village of Cove, near Dunwich in Suffolk, on 21 Nov. 1495. "His parents were in a humble rank of life; but at the age of twelve he was sent...
Robert Bale (fl. 1461), the English chronicler, known as Robert Bale the Elder, is said to have been born in London
Another Robert Bale (d. 1503), was a Carmelite monk, a native of Norfolk, and when very young entered the Carmelite monastery at Norwich. 3
Sir John Bale, 1st Baronet (1617-1654), was High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1624; Peter Bales (1547-1610?), was an English calligrapher, one of the inventors of shorthand writing
The Venerable Christopher Bales (Bayles) (1564?-1590), was an English Catholic priest and martyr. Born at Coniscliffe near Darlington, County Durham, he was arrested and tortured by Richard Topliffe...
Peter Bales (1547-?1610), was an English caligraphist, whose name appears also as Balesius, speaks of himself in the year 1595 as being 'within two yeares of fiftie,' which gives the date of his birth...

Bale Ranking

In the United States, the name Bale is the 12,274^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Bale migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bale or a variant listed above:

Bale Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alexander Bale, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 5
Alexander Bale who settled in Virginia in 1623
Vincent Bale, who landed in Long Island in 1683 5

Bale Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Heinrich Bale, who arrived in New Jersey in 1750 5
Henry Bale, who landed in New Jersey in 1750 5
George Bale who settled in New England in 1772

Bale Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Dudley Bale, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1813 5
James Bale, who arrived in Minnesota in 1849 5

Bale Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. John Bale, (b. 1885), aged 20, Cornish labourer, from St Austell, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Yonkers, New York, USA 6

Bale migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bale Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Bale, aged 66 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Nelson's Village" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7

Bale migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bale Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Bale, a bricklayer, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. George Bale, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Charles Bale, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "City Of Adelaide" in 1839 9
Mr. Phillip Bale, (b. 1812), aged 29, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 3rd June 1841 10
Mr. Joseph Bale, (b. 1837), aged 20, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "Plantagenet" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 13th February 1857 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bale migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bale Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Philip Bale, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875
Miss Jane Bale, (b. 1848), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "James Nicol Fleming" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 4th August 1875 12
Miss Sarah Bale, (b. 1854), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "James Nicol Fleming" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 4th August 1875 12
Alfred Bale, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Bale (post 1700) +

Christian Charles Philip Bale (b. 1974), English Actor and recipient of a Golden Globe award and the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at the 2011 Academy Awards

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 12)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CITY OF ADELAIDE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839CityOfAdelaide.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html