Ballou Family History
Ballou Name Meaning
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. 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 . Alternatively a rare variant of English Ballow 2 or an altered form of English Bellew
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
