Contents [hide]

Ball History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies South Africa

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Ball History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Ball

What does the name Ball mean?

The Ball name comes from that Medieval landscape of northwestern France known as Brittany. The name Ball was originally derived from the family having lived in Brittany, where this distinguished family was established from ancient times.

Early Origins of the Ball family

The surname Ball was first found in Brittany, where this distinguished family was established from ancient times.

Early History of the Ball family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ball research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1397, 1701, 1711, 1732, 1777, 1834 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Ball History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ball Spelling Variations

Throughout the course of history most surnames have undergone changes for many reasons. During the early development of the French language, a son and father may not have chosen to spell their name the same way. Many are simple spelling changes by a person who gave his name, phonetically, to a scribe, priest, or recorder. Many names held prefixes or suffixes which became optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, we have many spelling variations of this name, Ball some of which are Bal, Balle, Ball, Balard, Balart, Baland, Balland, Balet, Ballet, Ballot, Balot, Ballon, Balon, Ballou and many more.

Early Notables of the Ball family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

Benjamin Ball was a French psychiatrist (1834-1893)...

Ball World Ranking

In the United States, the name Ball is the 320^th most popular surname with an estimated 84,558 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Ball is ranked the 484^th most popular surname with an estimated 10,023 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Ball is the 302^nd popular surname with an estimated 150 people with that name. 3 France ranks Ball as 6,104^th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 4 Australia ranks Ball as 297^th with 11,906 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Ball as 299^th with 2,031 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Ball as 134^th with 37,504 people. 7

Ball migration to the United States +

In the 1700s, land incentives were finally given out by France to 2,000 migrants. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Ball were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Ball were

Ball Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Ball, who landed in Virginia in 1617 8
Mrs. Robert Ball, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 8
James Ball, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1622 8
Goodwife Ball, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Mrs. Ball, who landed in Virginia in 1623 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ball Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliz Ball, who landed in Virginia in 1705 8
Will Ball, who landed in Virginia in 1705 8
Samuel Ball, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 8
Catharina Ball, who landed in New York in 1709 8
Richard Ball, who landed in Virginia in 1714 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ball Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Matthew Ball, who landed in Maryland in 1803 8
Prudence Ball, aged 30, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1804 8
James Ball, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1807 8
Luke Ball, who arrived in America in 1810 8
Abraham Ball, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ball Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Albert Ball, (b. 1878), aged 22, Cornish labourer, from St Austell, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "Majestic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th September 1900 en route to Calumet, Michigan, UCA 9
Mr. William Ball, (b. 1863), aged 38, Cornish miner, from Liskeard, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "Oceanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 11th September 1901 en route to Whitesboro, New York USA 9
Mr. James Ball, (b. 1880), aged 24, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 18th July 1904 en route to Los Angeles, California, USA 9
Miss Lilian Ball, (b. 1894), aged 11, Cornish setter, from St Austell, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "Lucania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Indianapolis, Indiana, USA 9

Ball migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ball Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Ball, a fisherman of St. John's or Petty Harbour, Newfoundland in 1740 10
Richard Ball, a J.P. of the Ferryland District, Newfoundland in 1750 10
Mary Ball, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778
Private Jacob Ball U.E. (b. 1764) born in New Fane, Vermont, USA from Vermont, USA who settled in Sutton, Brome-Missisquoi Regional County, Quebec c. 1783 part of the Queen's Loyal Rangers, 4th Company with Captain Justus Sherwood's Company, he married Elizabeth H. Stone in 1785 the had 5 children, he died in 1831 in Knowlton, Quebec 11
Mrs. Elizabeth Ball U.E., (née Stone) (b. 1771) who settled in Sutton, Brome-Missisquoi Regional County, Quebec c. 1783 she married Private Jacob Ball in 1785, died in 1865 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ball Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

George Ball, a planter of Cuckold's Cove, Newfoundland in 1824 10
Edward Ball, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
Henry Ball from County Waterford, Ireland, was married in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1838 10
Stephen H Ball, who arrived in Canada in 1841
Abraham Ball, a fisherman of Reccontre in 1850; there is a Ball Island and Captain Ball Rock in Newfoundland 10

Ball Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Mr. James Ball, (b. 1872), aged 31, Cornish stationer, from St Austell, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th February 1903 en route to Toronto, Canada 9
Mrs. Lillie Ball, (b. 1873), aged 30, Cornish housewife, from St Austell, Cornwall travelling aboard the ship "Cedric" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th February 1903 en route to Toronto, Canada 9

Ball migration to Australia +

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

Ball Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Thomas Ball, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12

Ball Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Ball, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. John Ball, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
Mr. John Ball, British Convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. Thomas Ball, British Convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. Arthur Ball who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ball 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:

Ball Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Ball, Australian settler travelling from Port of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia on board the ship "David Owen" arriving in New Zealand in 1832 17
Alfred Ball, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Richard Ball, who landed in Wellington & Wanganui, New Zealand in 1841
Thomas T Ball, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1843
Phillip Ball, aged 40, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ball migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18

Ball Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. George Ball, (b. 1584), aged 51, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 19
Elizabeth Ball, who settled in Barbados in 1674
Humphrey Ball, his wife Elizabeth, and daughter Mary settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Ball (post 1700) +

Lucille Désirée Ball (1911-1989), American actress, comedienne, television star and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Sam Ball (1944-2023), American professional football player who was an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Colts
Coolidge Ball (1951-2023), American businessman and basketball player, the first African American athlete to play in any sport at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in Oxford, Mississippi
Kirshnik Khari Ball (1994-2022), known professionally as Takeoff, an American rapper, best known as a member of the hip hop trio Migos
Neiron Ball (1992-2019), American NFL outside linebacker football player who played for the Oakland Raiders (2015–2016)
David Standish Ball (1926-2017), American Episcopal prelate, Bishop of Albany (1984–1998)
Samuel Henry "Errie" Ball (1910-2014), Welsh-American professional golfer, the last living person to compete in the first Masters dying at the age of 103, inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 2011
Anne Firestone Ball (1934-2013), American philanthropist, heir to Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
Ernest Ball (1878-1927), American composer
Allen D. Ball (b. 1882), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State Senate from Windsor County, 1923; Presidential Elector for Vermont, 1924 20
... (Another 142 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ball family +

Hillsborough disaster

Kester Roger Marcus Ball (1972-1989), English schoolboy who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries, his school named his sixth form block "Kester Ball House" in his memory 21

HMS Hood

Mr. William Ball (b. 1923), English Leading Stoker serving for the Royal Navy from Liverpool, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22
Mr. Philip A Ball (b. 1922), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22
Mr. Charles F D Ball (b. 1920), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Kemp Town, Brighton, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. John Ball, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 23

HMS Royal Oak

Raymond John Newall Ball (1920-1939), born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, British Engine Room Artificer 5th Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 24
C.W. Ball, British Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 24

North Sea Flood

Robert Campbell Ball, British worker aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

RMS Titanic

Mr. Percy Ball, aged 19, English First Class Plate Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 13 25
Mrs. Ada E. Ball, (née Hall), aged 36, English Second Class passenger from Bristol, Avon who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 10 25

SS Atlantic

Mr. Edwin Ball, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Masten A. Ball, American Fireman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 26
Mr. William V. Ball, American Seaman First Class from Iowa, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 26

USS Indianapolis

Emmet Edwin Ball (1925-1945), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 27

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
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Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew