Explore the Family Name Ballou
The meaning of Ballou
1. French: possibly an altered form of French and Flemish Ballieu or Balliu, surnames mainly found in Nord in France and in neighbouring Flanders in Belgium. If so, it is either habitational, from one of the numerous places in Picardy, Artois, and Normandy called Bailleul (Old French Balliol), or an occupational name from Old Picard and Middle Dutch bailli(e)u, ba(i)lleu, baillu (Old French baillif, balliu) ‘bailiff’. Alternatively, the name Ballou might be from the ancient Germanic personal name Balowulf, composed of the elements balo ‘torment, wickedness’ and wulf ‘wolf’. The surname Ballou is rare in France. 2. Alternatively, an altered form of French Belleau or perhaps Beaulieu. The name is sometimes (also) said to be an altered form of Boileau but this is problematic in terms of family history and phonological development. Compare Ballew, Ballow 1, Belew, Bellew, and Belue. 3. Alternatively, a rare variant of English Ballow 2 or an altered form of English Bellew 1. History: Mat(h)urin Ballou, reportedly born in England, settled in Providence, RI, in the mid 17th century, and married Hannah Pike, with whom he had three surviving sons (John, James, and Peter) and one daughter. Though his (French) Huguenot origin has never been satisfactorily substantiated, he is listed in the register of Huguenot ancestors recognized by the Huguenot Society of South Carolina, while in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of America it is Robert Ballou who is listed as a Huguenot ancestor. However, the personal name Mat(h)urin is undoubtly French; it was especially popular in the Paris region and in the borderlands of northwestern France and Flanders.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ballou in the United States?
The surname Ballou has seen a slight decline in popularity over the years according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, it was ranked 5,753rd most popular, and in 2010, it had slipped slightly to 5,936th, a decrease of 3.18%. However, the actual number of people with this surname increased from 5,509 in 2000 to 5,800 in 2010, an increase of 5.28%. The proportion per 100k also decreased by 3.43% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,753 | #5,936 | -3.18% |
| Count | 5,509 | 5,800 | 5.28% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.04 | 1.97 | -3.43% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ballou
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of Ballous identify as White, although this percentage decreased slightly from 84.53% in 2000 to 82.79% in 2010. There was a notable increase in those identifying as Hispanic, with the proportion rising from 1.45% to 2.67%, an increase of 84.14%. The percentage of Ballous identifying as Black increased marginally from 10.51% to 10.76%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw increases, while the percentage of individuals identifying with two or more races decreased slightly.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.53% | 82.79% | -2.06% |
| Black | 10.51% | 10.76% | 2.38% |
| Hispanic | 1.45% | 2.67% | 84.14% |
| Two or More Races | 1.71% | 1.62% | -5.26% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.25% | 1.48% | 18.4% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.54% | 0.67% | 24.07% |
Ballou ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Ballou is British & Irish, which comprises 55.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.0%) and Scandinavian (4.3%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.7% |
| French & German | 25.0% |
| Scandinavian | 4.3% |
| Other | 15.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Ballou
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Ballou have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 91.30% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 91.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 91.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 91.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 91.30% |
What Ballou haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Ballou is R-L1066.1, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L1066.1 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-S11477 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Billingsley, Gresham, Conklin, Sisk, Grissom, Musgrave, Brady, Grisham, Osborne, Osborn.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ballou surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Ballou have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Ballou" Surname 51.3%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Ballou" Surname 30.8%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Ballou" Surname 18.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Ballou" Surname 24.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Ballou?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Ballou are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition