Bellew Family History
Bellew Name Meaning
English Irish and Scottish (of Norman origin): habitational name from a lost or unidentified estate in or near Normandy named with Old French bel + eau ‘beautiful water’ as is clear from the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English surname spelling de Belewe and its Latin rendering as de Bella Aqua. The source of the surname is often stated to be Bellou (Orne) but this is improbable as its etymological form Be(r)lou requires a different etymology than bella aqua. Nor is the surname from Belleau in Lincolnshire; this is post-medieval re-formation of the medieval placename Helgelo (Old Norse ‘Helgi's glade or meadow’). Variant or Americanized form of Ballou a surname of probable French origin. Compare Ballew 1 Balliew Belew 1 Belue and Billue .
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022