Balfour Surname
Approximately 14,327 people bear this surname
Balfour Surname Definition:
From the lands or barony of the same name near the junction of the rivers Ore and Leven in the parish of Markinch, Fife. John de Balfure, who appears on an assize in 1304 is the first of the name in record (Bain, II, 1592). (The Ingelram de Balfour, sheriff of Fife, mentioned in Wood's edition of Douglas's Peerage, as appearing in a charter to the monastery of Aberbrothoc was really a Baliol).
Read More About This SurnameBalfour Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,400 | 1:106,606 | 11,698 |
| England | 1,755 | 1:31,748 | 4,233 |
| Scotland | 1,660 | 1:3,225 | 575 |
| Oman | 1,614 | 1:2,285 | 340 |
| Canada | 1,565 | 1:23,544 | 3,196 |
| Australia | 1,518 | 1:17,784 | 2,489 |
| South Africa | 1,168 | 1:46,385 | 5,920 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 403 | 1:3,385 | 571 |
| Jamaica | 306 | 1:9,379 | 1,036 |
| Northern Ireland | 173 | 1:10,665 | 1,659 |
| New Zealand | 173 | 1:26,175 | 4,585 |
| Bahamas | 130 | 1:3,013 | 383 |
| Israel | 73 | 1:117,228 | 12,979 |
| Portugal | 38 | 1:274,164 | 10,086 |
| Argentina | 35 | 1:1,221,240 | 71,984 |
| Netherlands | 30 | 1:562,906 | 50,501 |
| Wales | 25 | 1:123,781 | 9,267 |
| Dominican Republic | 23 | 1:453,606 | 14,824 |
| India | 20 | 1:38,353,269 | 431,471 |
| Ireland | 19 | 1:247,839 | 9,475 |
| Nigeria | 16 | 1:11,071,422 | 210,388 |
| Gibraltar | 13 | 1:2,612 | 585 |
| Ecuador | 12 | 1:1,325,487 | 16,904 |
| United Arab Emirates | 11 | 1:832,934 | 27,512 |
| Spain | 11 | 1:4,250,185 | 75,241 |
| Brazil | 11 | 1:19,461,303 | 329,560 |
| Malaysia | 11 | 1:2,681,293 | 102,971 |
| France | 10 | 1:6,642,272 | 293,169 |
| Thailand | 10 | 1:7,063,834 | 426,148 |
| Ghana | 9 | 1:3,002,299 | 11,581 |
| Cayman Islands | 8 | 1:7,987 | 922 |
| Norway | 7 | 1:734,612 | 50,907 |
| Switzerland | 7 | 1:1,173,274 | 69,697 |
| Qatar | 6 | 1:393,000 | 55,922 |
| Philippines | 5 | 1:20,247,645 | 262,352 |
| Germany | 5 | 1:16,101,092 | 397,699 |
| Hong Kong | 5 | 1:1,467,097 | 5,611 |
| Egypt | 4 | 1:22,983,938 | 62,368 |
| Singapore | 4 | 1:1,376,926 | 28,409 |
| Jersey | 3 | 1:33,067 | 4,675 |
| Italy | 3 | 1:20,385,563 | 143,117 |
| Indonesia | 3 | 1:44,083,065 | 698,220 |
| Yemen | 2 | 1:13,212,647 | 40,633 |
| Papua New Guinea | 2 | 1:4,076,858 | 165,791 |
| Panama | 1 | 1:3,912,258 | 17,195 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 1:15,438,240 | 133,260 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 1:45,522,696 | 503,646 |
| Austria | 1 | 1:8,515,435 | 118,036 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 1 | 1:110,375 | 6,934 |
| Andorra | 1 | 1:83,838 | 2,381 |
| Sweden | 1 | 1:9,846,757 | 347,448 |
| Barbados | 1 | 1:287,448 | 2,772 |
| Somalia | 1 | 1:13,452,061 | 9,224 |
| Belgium | 1 | 1:11,496,644 | 167,539 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 | 1:112,659 | 1,704 |
| Poland | 1 | 1:38,008,749 | 231,653 |
| China | 1 | 1:1,367,321,566 | 51,149 |
| Belize | 1 | 1:355,474 | 3,977 |
| Bermuda | 1 | 1:65,279 | 3,010 |
| Morocco | 1 | 1:34,476,099 | 111,471 |
| Mexico | 1 | 1:124,126,205 | 103,776 |
| Kenya | 1 | 1:46,179,900 | 103,372 |
| Ivory Coast | 1 | 1:23,071,232 | 76,679 |
| Iraq | 1 | 1:35,021,654 | 31,813 |
| Denmark | 1 | 1:5,644,715 | 93,155 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 128 | 1:34,608 | 3,324 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1,554 | 1:2,409 | 433 |
| England | 542 | 1:44,973 | 5,596 |
| Wales | 8 | 1:196,052 | 7,186 |
| Jersey | 1 | 1:51,882 | 3,898 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 364 | 1:137,963 | 13,058 |
Balfour (602) may also be a first name.
Balfour Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
From the lands or barony of the same name near the junction of the rivers Ore and Leven in the parish of Markinch, Fife. John de Balfure, who appears on an assize in 1304 is the first of the name in record (Bain, II, 1592). (The Ingelram de Balfour, sheriff of Fife, mentioned in Wood's edition of Douglas's Peerage, as appearing in a charter to the monastery of Aberbrothoc was really a Baliol). William de Balfure witnessed a charter by Duncan, earl of Fife between 1331 and 1335 (Laine, 37). Michael de Balfoure who witnessed a confirmation charter by David II to Ysabella de Fyf in 1365 (RMS., I, 221) may be the Michael de Balfwre who was present at the perambulation of the bounds of Kyrknes and Louchor in 1395 (RPSA., p. 5). Over twenty branches of the family of Balfour possessed at one time or another landed property in Fife. The name was originally pronounced with the accent on the last syllable, but Anglified usage has shifted the stress forward to the first. Some of the most prominent of the name are Sir James Balfour (d. 1583), author of Balfour's Practicks; Robert Balfour (c. 1550—1625), philosopher and Greek scholar; Nisbet Balfour (1743—1823), soldier; John Hutton Balfour (1808—1884), botanist; and last but not least, James Arthur Balfour (1848—1930), statesman and philosopher, created Earl Balfour of Whittinghame. Baffour 1545, Balfewer 1715, Balflower 1581 Balfoir 1594, Balfouir 1527, Balfowir 1513, Balfowyr 1524, Balfowr 1530, Baufour 1530, Baufoure 1482, Baulfour 1517, Bawfowre 1510, Bawfowyr 1521, Bawlfowr 1517, Belforde 1591.
(Celtic) belonging to Balfour (Fife). [Gaelic baile, a place; Whitley Stokes thinks -four is Pictish corresponding to the Welsh pawr, 'a pasture’]
(Scottish) One who came from Balfour (village by pasture land), in Fifeshire.
A castle and fief in Fifeshire of which county the chiefs were hereditary sheriffs. The family sprang from Siward, a Northumbrian, who settled in Scotland temp. Duncan I.
Local: from the castle and barony of Balfour near the junction of the rivers Or and Leven. The family are descended from Sir Michael de Balfour, temp. William the Lion.
Local. From the barony and castle of Balfour, near the confluence of the rivers Or and Leven. (Scotland.) Ball and Balla, in Gaelic, signifies a casting up, raising, like the Greek Bάλλαω, and denotes a wall, fortress, house, a village. Balfour, i. e., the Keep, or castle on the river Or. Balfoir, the castle of deliverance or security.
A location name in Fife.
Balfour Demographics
Balfour Religious Adherence
in Ireland
Religious Adherence
in Ireland
Balfour Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Balfour Come From? nationality or country of origin
The last name Balfour (Hindi: बैलफोर) is more commonly found in The United States than any other country/territory. It may also occur in the variant forms:. For other possible spellings of Balfour click here.
How Common Is The Last Name Balfour? popularity and diffusion
This last name is the 36,806th most widely held family name throughout the world, borne by around 1 in 508,658 people. The surname occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 41 percent of Balfour reside; 35 percent reside in North America and 34 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Balfour is also the 340,659th most frequently occurring first name throughout the world. It is borne by 602 people.
The last name Balfour is most frequently occurring in The United States, where it is carried by 3,400 people, or 1 in 106,606. In The United States Balfour is most frequent in: California, where 14 percent are found, Florida, where 8 percent are found and New York, where 7 percent are found. Apart from The United States Balfour occurs in 64 countries. It is also common in England, where 12 percent are found and Scotland, where 12 percent are found.
Balfour Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The prevalency of Balfour has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the Balfour surname grew 934 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 324 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 107 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 313 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 85 percent between 1901 and 2014.
Balfour Last Name Statistics demography
The religious adherence of those carrying the last name is chiefly Anglican (70%) in Ireland.
In The United States those holding the Balfour last name are 1.97% more likely to be registered Democrats than The US average, with 55.2% being registered with the party.
The amount Balfour earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 311.56% more than the national average, earning 1,424,340 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 7.43% less than the national average, earning R 219,972 per year; in United States they earn 7.48% more than the national average, earning $46,377 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7.82% more than the national average, earning $53,570 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
| Surname | Similarity | Worldwide Incidence | Prevalency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balfourd | 93 | 10 | / |
| Ballfour | 93 | 1 | / |
| Bailfour | 93 | 1 | / |
| Baalfour | 93 | 0 | / |
| Balfoure | 93 | 0 | / |
| Balfor | 92 | 18 | / |
| Balfur | 92 | 9 | / |
| Balfourth | 88 | 28 | / |
| Balford | 86 | 86 | / |
| Balfore | 86 | 34 | / |
| Balfhor | 86 | 8 | / |
| Balfort | 86 | 8 | / |
| Balfaur | 86 | 2 | / |
| Balfoor | 86 | 2 | / |
| Valfour | 86 | 1 | / |
| Balfurr | 86 | 1 | / |
| Ballfor | 86 | 1 | / |
| Bolfour | 86 | 1 | / |
| Balfourová | 82 | 1 | / |
| Balfoort | 80 | 535 | / |
| Balforth | 80 | 1 | / |
| Ballford | 80 | 1 | / |
| Balffort | 80 | 1 | / |
| Bailford | 80 | 1 | / |
| Bealford | 80 | 1 | / |
| Ballfore | 80 | 0 | / |
| Balfar | 77 | 29 | / |
| Walfor | 77 | 3 | / |
| Valfor | 77 | 2 | / |
| Bolfor | 77 | 0 | / |
| Valfort | 71 | 265 | / |
| Ballfar | 71 | 32 | / |
| Wallfur | 71 | 6 | / |
| Bolford | 71 | 3 | / |
| Balfarr | 71 | 1 | / |
| Valfore | 71 | 1 | / |
| Valford | 71 | 1 | / |
| Balfard | 71 | 1 | / |
| Walfurt | 71 | 0 | / |
| Wolfgour | 67 | 33 | / |
| Walfford | 67 | 6 | / |
| Wahlfort | 67 | 5 | / |
| Boulfort | 67 | 2 | / |
| Walphour | 67 | 1 | / |
| Boolford | 67 | 1 | / |
| Walfoord | 67 | 0 | / |
| Whalford | 67 | 0 | / |
| Walforth | 67 | 0 | / |
| Wahlford | 67 | 0 | / |
Balfour Name Transliterations
| Transliteration | ICU Latin | Percentage of Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Balfour in the Hindi language | ||
| बैलफोर | bailaphora | - |
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Balfour
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis