Bald History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland

Etymology of Bald

What does the name Bald mean?

The ancestors of the Bald family lived among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. Bald is a name for someone who lived in Peeblesshire.

Early Origins of the Bald family

The surname Bald was first found in Peebles, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Bald family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bald research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1553, 1627, 1776, 1783, 1859 and 1861 are included under the topic Early Bald History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bald Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Bald has been spelled Bald, Baald, Bauld and others.

Early Notables of the Bald family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Sir John Bald
Alexander Bald, (1783-1859), Scottish poet

Bald migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Bald Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francois Bald, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718 1
Elias Bald, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 1
Robert Bald, who landed in Philadelphia in 1750
John Bald, who landed in Philadelphia in 1753
Jacob Bald, aged 35, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bald Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Bald, who arrived in America in 1809 1
Anna Maria Bald, who settled in Baltimore in 1833
Michael Bald, who landed in Philadelphia in 1838
W Bald, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 1
John George Bald, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1856 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bald migration to Australia +

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

Bald Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Bald who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2
Robert Bald, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Stebonheath" in 1849 3
George Bald, aged 38, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Joseph Rowan" 4
Thomas Bald, aged 25, a groom, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Joseph Rowan" 4
William Bald, aged 28, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Joseph Rowan" 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bald 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:

Bald Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Andrew Bald, aged 28, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
Mr. Andrew Bald, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Egidia" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th February 1861 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Bald (post 1700) +

Kenneth Bruce "Ken" Bald (1920-2019), American illustrator and comic book artist, best known for the Dr. Kildare and Dark Shadows newspaper comic strips
F. Clever Bald (1897-1970), American teacher and director of the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan
Edward Carl "Eddie" Bald (1874-1946), American cyclist and automobile racing driver, nicknamed "The Cannon"
Janet Ellen Bald, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1988 6
William Bald (1789-1857), Scottish surveyor, cartographer, and civil engineer, cousin of Alexander and Robert
Robert Bald (1776-1861), Scottish surveyor, civil and mining engineer, and antiquarian, brother of Alexander
Alexander Bald (1783-1859), Scottish poet and frequent contributor to The Scots Magazine
Kathy Bald (b. 1963), Canadian two-time gold, three-timer silver medalist competitive freestyle swimmer
John Witherspoon Bald (1868-1961), Irish-born, Canadian photographer who produced portraits, landscape and other commercial photographs
Detlef Bald (b. 1941), German political scientist and military historian

Citations +

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEBONHEATH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Stebonheath.htm
South Australian Register Saturday 17th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Joseph Rowan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/josephrowan1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html