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

Balais, 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 Balais surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Balais in America

Balais is the 87335th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Balais surname appeared 213 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Balais.

We can also compare 2010 data for Balais 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 Balais

The surname BALAIS is of French origin, with its roots traced back to the northern regions of France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "balai," which means "broom" or "brush," suggesting a possible connection to an early occupation or trade related to sweeping or cleaning.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BALAIS can be found in the Parisian tax rolls of 1292, where a certain Guillaume BALAIS is listed as a resident of the city. This provides evidence that the surname was already in use by the late 13th century in the capital of France.

During the 14th century, the name BALAIS appeared in various ecclesiastical records, including the baptismal registers of the parish of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. One notable entry from 1367 mentions a Jacques BALAIS, who served as a churchwarden.

In the 15th century, the BALAIS surname gained prominence in the region of Normandy. The "Livre Pelut," a census-like document from 1463, lists several BALAIS families residing in the Norman villages of Caudebec and Vatteville-la-Rue. This suggests that the name had spread from its Parisian origins to other parts of northern France.

One of the earliest known bearers of the BALAIS surname was Jean BALAIS, a merchant and alderman of the city of Rouen in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was born around 1450 and played a significant role in the local government and trade guilds of the Norman capital.

Another notable figure was Pierre BALAIS, a 16th-century French historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Normandy. He was born in Caen around 1520 and published several influential works, including "Histoire de la Normandie" (History of Normandy), which remains an important source for scholars studying the region's past.

In the 17th century, the BALAIS surname gained recognition in the field of law and jurisprudence. François BALAIS (1615-1688) was a renowned French jurist and legal scholar who served as a counselor in the Parlement of Paris, one of the highest judicial bodies in the kingdom.

During the 18th century, the BALAIS family produced several notable military figures. Jacques-Philippe BALAIS (1730-1802) was a French general who fought in the Revolutionary Wars and rose to the rank of divisional commander under Napoleon Bonaparte.

As the BALAIS surname spread across France and beyond, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Balais, Balays, Ballez, and Balez. These variants reflect the regional dialects and linguistic differences that existed within the French-speaking territories.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Balais

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

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 Balais 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 Balais 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 Balais was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!