NameCensus.

UK surname

Baller

A surname referring to someone who played with balls or was skilled at ball games.

In the 1881 census there were 71 people recorded with the Baller surname, ranking it #23,517 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 164, ranked #22,314, up from #23,517 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Richmond and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Ribble, Bromsgrove and Bradford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Baller is 353 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 131.0%.

1881 census count

71

Ranked #23,517

Modern count

164

2016, ranked #22,314

Peak year

1861

353 bearers

Map years

7

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Baller had 71 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,517 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 164 in 2016, ranked #22,314.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 353 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Baller surname distribution map

The map shows where the Baller surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Baller surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Baller over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 63 #22,069
1861 historical 353 #7,242
1881 historical 71 #23,517
1891 historical 257 #12,476
1901 historical 105 #22,179
1911 historical 140 #18,657
1997 modern 173 #19,295
1998 modern 176 #19,584
1999 modern 183 #19,248
2000 modern 171 #20,044
2001 modern 163 #20,372
2002 modern 161 #20,925
2003 modern 160 #20,789
2004 modern 164 #20,609
2005 modern 163 #20,627
2006 modern 170 #20,214
2007 modern 175 #20,090
2008 modern 171 #20,595
2009 modern 175 #20,707
2010 modern 173 #21,327
2011 modern 172 #21,248
2012 modern 155 #22,762
2013 modern 159 #22,706
2014 modern 162 #22,624
2015 modern 163 #22,407
2016 modern 164 #22,314

Geography

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Where Ballers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Richmond, London parishes, Kings Norton and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Ribble, Bromsgrove, Bradford and Guildford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Richmond Surrey
3 London parishes London 3
4 Kings Norton Worcestershire
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Ribble 010 South Ribble
2 Bromsgrove 003 Bromsgrove
3 Bradford 024 Bradford
4 Bromsgrove 004 Bromsgrove
5 Guildford 008 Guildford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Baller

These lists show first names that appear often with the Baller surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Baller

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Baller, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Baller surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Baller household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Baller is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Baller is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Baller falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Baller is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Baller, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Baller

The surname "BALLER" is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old German word "ballen," which means "to gather" or "to roll up." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who gathered or rolled up materials, such as a cloth or parchment worker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "BALLER" can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, dating back to the 14th century. In these records, a man named Hans Baller is mentioned as a citizen of the city in the year 1367.

The name "BALLER" also appears in the historical records of the city of Cologne in the late 15th century. A document from 1489 mentions a merchant named Johann Baller, who was involved in the thriving textile trade of the region.

During the 16th century, the name "BALLER" began to spread across various parts of Europe. In England, there are records of a family with the name "BALLER" residing in the county of Wiltshire in the late 1500s.

One notable individual with the surname "BALLER" was Johann Balthasar Baller, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1614 to 1686. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and authored several influential works on theology and ethics.

Another significant figure was Friedrich Baller, a German-born military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the 18th century. He was born in 1707 and fought in several major battles, including the Seven Years' War.

In the 19th century, the name "BALLER" gained further prominence with the birth of Adolf Baller, a German painter and illustrator who was active in the Romantic movement. He was born in 1825 and is known for his vivid landscape paintings and illustrations of German folklore.

The name "BALLER" can also be found in various place names across Europe, such as Ballersbach, a village in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Ballerstadt, a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

While the surname "BALLER" is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple European countries, reflecting its origins as an occupational name and its association with various notable individuals and places throughout history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Baller families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Baller surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Surrey leads with 20 Ballers recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.93x.

County Total Index
Surrey 20 5.93x
Warwickshire 18 10.31x
Gloucestershire 7 5.16x
Middlesex 7 1.01x
Cheshire 4 2.62x
Glamorgan 4 3.32x
Staffordshire 3 1.28x
Derbyshire 2 1.85x
Hampshire 2 1.41x
Kent 2 0.85x
Devon 1 0.69x
Lancashire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 14 Ballers recorded in 1881 and an index of 24.06x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 14 24.06x
Richmond 11 232.56x
Westbury On Trym 7 152.17x
Lambeth 5 8.28x
Higher Bebington 4 408.16x
Chelsea London 3 14.38x
Penarth 3 254.24x
Aston 2 4.16x
Battersea 2 7.85x
Camberwell 2 4.52x
Chatham 2 30.77x
Eckington 2 76.05x
Holdenhurst 2 53.76x
Wolverhampton 2 11.13x
Birkdale 1 48.08x
Cardiff St John 1 25.38x
Compton Gifford 1 222.22x
Coventry St Michael 1 17.83x
Edgbaston 1 18.48x
Hammersmith London 1 5.86x
Harborne 1 13.35x
Kensington London 1 2.60x
Shoreditch London 1 3.33x
St Marylebone London 1 2.70x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Baller surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Baller surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Baller households.

FAQ

Baller surname: questions and answers

How common was the Baller surname in 1881?

In 1881, 71 people were recorded with the Baller surname. That placed it at #23,517 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Baller surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 164 in 2016. That gives Baller a modern rank of #22,314.

What does the Baller surname mean?

A surname referring to someone who played with balls or was skilled at ball games.

What does the Baller map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Baller bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.