Find out how popular the last name Bal is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bal.

Bal, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bal in America

Bal is the 14794th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bal surname appeared 2,006 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bal to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bal

The surname Bal is of Indian origin, specifically from the Punjab region. It is derived from the Sanskrit word 'bala', which means strength or power. The name first appeared in historical records around the 12th century AD.

The name Bal was primarily found in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the areas that are now part of modern-day Pakistan and the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Over time, it spread to other parts of India and the world due to migration and diaspora.

One of the earliest known references to the name Bal can be found in the Prithviraj Raso, a 12th-century epic poem that chronicles the life and exploits of the legendary Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan. The poem mentions several individuals with the surname Bal, indicating its presence in the region during that period.

In the 16th century, the name Bal is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari, a detailed administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document recorded the names of various Hindu and Muslim nobles, including those with the surname Bal.

Some notable historical figures with the surname Bal include:

1. Bhai Mati Das Bal (1661-1675), a Sikh martyr and one of the revered companions of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.
2. Rai Balwant Singh Bal (1813-1878), a prominent figure in the Sikh Empire and a trusted advisor to Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
3. Lala Lajpat Rai Bal (1865-1928), a prominent Indian freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Congress.
4. Sohan Singh Bal (1870-1944), a renowned Punjabi writer, poet, and playwright who played a significant role in the revival of Punjabi literature.
5. Jagat Narain Bal (1874-1952), an Indian mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of number theory.

The surname Bal has also been associated with various place names in the Indian subcontinent, such as Balrampur, Balasinor, and Balurghat, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bal

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bal.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bal was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bal, please contact us.

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