Show ContentsHallion History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hallion

What does the name Hallion mean?

Hallion is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in Hallam, a place name found in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. In the Domesday Book of 1086, this place is called Hallum. 1 In Yorkshire, Hallam is found in the South Riding.

Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old Scandinavian word hallr, or from the Old English word hall, both of which meant "stony." The place name meant "the stony place, the place at the rocks." 2

In Derbyshire there is a place called West Hallam and another called Kirk Hallam. These names are derived from the Old English word halh, which meant "remote nook of land." Kirk in the Old English meat "church;" the name as a whole would be "church in a remote place," while West Hallam was a "remote place in the west." 3

Early Origins of the Hallion family

The surname Hallion was first found in Yorkshire at Hallam or perhaps at Halling, a village on the North Downs in the northern part of Kent that dates back to Saxon times in the 8th century when it was first listed as Hallingas. 3

By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name was known as Hallinges, 1 and literally meant "settlement of the family of a man called Heall, " from the Old English personal name + "ingas." 3

A scan of early rolls revealed Adam de Hallum in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297 and John de Hallum in Lancashire in 1328. Richard de Halom was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327 and Henry de Halom held lands in Yorkshire in 1392. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Hallom and Elena de Hallum. 5

In Scotland, the name was "probably a late introduction from England. Janet Hallam was in the Carse of Twynholm, 1758. John Hallum or Hallume was hanged for being a Covenanter, 1685." 6

Early History of the Hallion family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hallion research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1360, 1370, 1403, 1405, 1417 and 1537 are included under the topic Early Hallion History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hallion Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hallion has been recorded under many different variations, including Hallam, Halam, Hallum and others.

Early Notables of the Hallion family

Notables of the family at this time include Robert Hallam (d. 1417), an English churchman, Bishop of Salisbury and English representative at the Council of Constance. He was Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1403 to 1405. He was born probably between 1360 and 1370, and educated at Oxford. 7John Hallam (d. 1537), was an English "conspirator, a native of Cawkill, Yorkshire, and had much local influence and popularity. A determined Romanist he strenuously opposed the king's supremacy and the suppression of the monasteries. When the priest announced at Kilnskill that the king had suppressed St. Wilfrid's day, Hallam angrily...
Another 112 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hallion Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hallion migration to Australia +

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

Hallion Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Matthew Hallion, aged 19, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Gilmore"
  • Michael Hallion, aged 15, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Gilmore"
  • Patrick Hallion, aged 14, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Gilmore"


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  7. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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