Bal Family History

Indian (Punjab): Sikh name based on the name of a Jat tribe from Sanskrit bala ‘strength’. Turkish: ornamental name, nickname, or metonymic occupational name from bal ‘honey’. Polish: from Bal, a short form of the personal name Baltazar. This surname is also found among Rusyns (Lemkos).

French and Dutch: from a short form of a personal name of ancient Germanic origin based on the element bal, presumably meaning ‘torment, spitefulness’ (see Ballard and Ballon) or bald ‘bold’ (see Baldwin).

Dutch: perhaps also from bal ‘ball’, a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a ball, or a metonymic occupational name denoting a manufacturer of balls (compare the surname Balmakers).

Sorbian: from a short form of the personal name Bałcar (see Baltazar) or Baltyn (see Valentine). It is found mainly in the Germanized form Bahl.