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

Ballina, 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 Ballina surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ballina in America

Ballina is the 103181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ballina surname appeared 174 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 Ballina.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ballina 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 Ballina

The surname Ballina is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the placename Ballina, a town in County Mayo, Ireland. The name itself is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "beal an atha," which translates to "mouth of the ford" or "ford-mouth."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ballina can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of royal letters and decrees from the 16th century. In 1589, a man named Teige O'Ballina is mentioned in a grant of land in County Mayo.

During the 17th century, the Ballina surname appeared in various records, including the Census of Ireland (1659), which documented several families bearing the name in County Mayo. The name was also found in the Hearth Money Rolls, a tax record from the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Ballina surname continued to be prevalent in County Mayo. One notable figure from this period was Patrick Ballina (1718-1798), a Catholic priest and historian who wrote extensively about the history of Ireland.

As the Irish diaspora spread around the world, the Ballina surname began to appear in other countries. In the 19th century, John Ballina (1825-1901), an Irish-born soldier, fought in the American Civil War and later settled in New York City.

Another notable figure was William Ballina (1870-1945), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Ballina Construction Company in Boston and contributed to various charitable causes throughout his life.

In the 20th century, the Ballina surname continued to be found in various parts of the world. One notable individual was Mary Ballina (1912-1998), an Irish-born artist and sculptor who lived and worked in London.

James Ballina (1938-2015) was a prominent Australian architect who designed several iconic buildings in Sydney, including the Sydney Opera House.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ballina

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

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

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

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