Halle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Etymology of Halle

What does the name Halle mean?

The first bearers of the distinguished surname Halle came to England in the great wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is occupational in origin, stemming from the primary activity of the bearer. It is derived from the Old French term "halle," which referred to a large manor house, which indicates that the original bearer of the name worked at the manor of the local Lord in some role such as a servant or chamberlain.

Not all of the family moved to England, as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Serlo de Haula and Robert de Hala of Normandy in 1198. 1

"The principal apartment in all old mansions was the hall, and in feudal times it was a petty court of justice as well as the scene of entertainment. The chief servitor when the lord was resident, or the tenant when he was non-resident, would naturally acquire such a surname; and hence its frequency." 2

Early Origins of the Halle family

The surname Halle was first found in Lincolnshire, England, where the family is directly descended from Earl Fitzwilliam, who held a family seat at Greatford Hall in Lincolnshire after the Norman Conquest. 1

The younger son of this noble house, Arthur FitzWilliam, came to be known as "Hall" so as to distinguish him from his senior brother. Hence, Arthur Hall was the first known bearer of the name, appearing on record around the year 1090. 1

"Two principal areas of greatest frequency: one in the north of England in the counties of Northumberland and Durham, where it attains the greatest relative frequency, extending; however, in moderate numbers across the border into central Scotland; the other in the midland counties, especially in Derbyshire." 3

Warin de Halls was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Essex in 1178, Robert de la Hall in Hampshire in 1199, Alan atte Halle in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296, Robert de Hall in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327, and Richard in the Halle in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. 4

Years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has two listings for the family with the same early spelling: Roger de la Halle, Cambridgeshire; and Walter de la Halle, Salop (Shropshire). Later again, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus atte Hall and Isabella at ye Halle. 5

Early History of the Halle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Halle research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1105, 1340, 1436, 1440, 1444, 1446, 1448, 1449, 1479, 1574, 1600, 1610, 1613, 1619, 1620, 1630, 1637, 1651, 1654, 1656, 1660, 1662, 1665, 1667, 1668, 1669, 1676, 1687, 1688, 1690, 1692, 1776 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Halle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Halle Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hall, Halle, Haule, Haul, Hal, De Aule and others.

Early Notables of the Halle family

Distinguished members of the family include Joseph Hall (1574-1656), an English bishop, satirist and moralist; George Hall (c.1613-1668), an English Bishop of Chester (1662-1668); Thomas Hall (1610-1665), an English clergyman and ejected minister; Charles Hall (died 1669), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654 and 1656; Thomas Hall (1619-1667), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1654 and 1660; Timothy Hall (c.1637-1690)...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Halle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Halle World Ranking

In the United States, the name Halle is the 8,924^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Halle is ranked the 565^th most popular surname. 7 And in France, the name Halle is the 5,369^th popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Halle family to Ireland

Some of the Halle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Halle migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Halle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Halle, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 9
George Caspar Halle, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 9
Hans Halle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 9
Durst Halle, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 9
Christoph Halle, who landed in America in 1780 9

Halle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Jacob Halle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1800 9
Thomas Halle, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 9
Abraham H Halle, who landed in New York in 1827 9
Louis Francois Halle, who landed in New York, NY in 1829 9
Adolph Halle, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1850 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Halle (post 1700) +

Morris Halle (1923-2018), Latvian-American linguist who was an Institute Professor
Bruce Thomas Halle (1930-2018), American billionaire businessman, and the founder and chairman of Discount Tire; he had an estimated net worth of 5.2 billion at the time of his death
Samuel Horatio Halle, American co-founder with his brother Salmon Potland Chase Halle of Halle Brothers Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, a former department store chain
Barthold Johan Halle (1925-2025), Norwegian stage instructor, film director and theatre director
Morten Halle (b. 1957), Norwegian jazz musician
Sir Charles Hallé (1819-1895), Anglo-German pianist and conductor, founder of The Hallé orchestra in 1858
Gunnar Halle (b. 1965), Norwegian football manager and former player
John Halle Gutfreund (1929-2016), American businessman and investor, CEO of Salomon Brothers Inc
Halle Berry (b. 1966), American Academy Award winning actress, former fashion model, and beauty queen

Sources +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)