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

Bale, 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 Bale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bale in America

Bale is the 11138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bale surname appeared 2,843 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 Bale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bale 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 Bale

The surname Bale originated in England, deriving from the Old English words 'bale' or 'bal', which referred to a strip of land or clearing. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 11th century.

The name was first concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, where it likely referred to people living on or near such clearings or strips of land. Early spellings included Bale, Baal, and Bael.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Radulfus Bale is listed in Yorkshire. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, which mention a William Bale.

By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, with instances recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire (1273) and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire (1275). Some of these early spellings include Balle and Bale.

The surname Bale is also associated with certain place names, such as Baleborough in Derbyshire and Baledon in Somerset, which may have influenced the name's development in those regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Bale throughout history include:

1. John Bale (1495-1563), an English Anglican bishop and historian during the Reformation era.
2. Robert Bale (1784-1861), an English religious writer and Baptist minister.
3. Manfred Bale (1900-1977), a German actor and film director active in the early 20th century.
4. Donald Bale (1925-2003), an American actor and father of Christian Bale.
5. Christian Bale (born 1974), the renowned English actor known for roles in films such as The Dark Knight trilogy, The Machinist, and The Boxer.

While the surname Bale has evolved over the centuries, it remains rooted in its Old English origins, reflecting the geographic and historical landscapes of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bale

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

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

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

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