Origin of the Surname Balmer, Revised (Anglo-Swiss)
I posted an earlier version on this forum ten years ago, so thought it worth reposting my slightly revised thoughts (written from the perspective of being included in my own family history).Not too many people seem to be interested in the topic, but I'm always glad to get any feedback! (For reference, my immigrant ancestor is William Balmer, 1823-1910, from Hillsborough, County Down, Ireland to Bradford County, Pennsylvania c. 1853.)
NOTES ON ORIGINS OF THE SURNAME BALMER
The origin of this surname appears to of Celtic derivation, with two main groups, one from the British Isles, and one from western continental Europe.Balmers in the United States appear to all descend from one of these two unconnected groups.
The most probable derivation for our family line is as a topographical name given to someone from any of the towns found in the south of Scotland and north of England, where the town name starts with “Balm”.Balm derives from the Gaelic for the word “town”.Examples are Balmorinach (today’s Balmerino) from the Gaelic baile mor n ach “large town of the field”, Balmaghie meaning “town of MacGhie”, and Balmaclennan or “town of McLennan”.Barber states it derives specifically from Balmire in the north of England in Cumberland (near the Scottish border), but I don’t know of specific evidence to give that town precedence over the others; it’s more likely that “Balmers” came from a number of those towns.A few other examples in Scotland are Balmacaan, Balmacarra and Balmaduthy.
The earliest documentation of the name I have found is in the north of England, for a Philip Balmer listed as a farmer in the account rolls for Nyetimber Manor in 1435-1437.By 1700 the name was found in Cumberland and Lancashire, the Cleveland area of North Yorkshire, County Durham (all still in the north of England), in the eastern Scottish borders, and in Ulster (what is today Northern Ireland).
The earliest known instance of Balmer in Ulster was in a 1659 census, listed as one of the “lowland Scottish” family names that had transplanted there.James I of England had encouraged “plantations” of Scottish Lowlanders in Ulster as early as 1603, and there were many English as well as Scottish settlers there in the 17th century.We note that our ancestor William Balmer of Hillsborough considered himself Scots/English.I have found records of Balmers specifically in Hillsborough only back to about 1750; our own family line certainly could have been in Ulster as far back as 1659, or could have come over from Scotland/England at a later date.
Balmer immigrants from the British Isles to the United States came over mostly in the 19th century, after about 1840, although I have found one early example, a Thomas and Ann Balmer who immigrated to Maryland in 1651, probably from England.
Not all Balmers in this country, however, are from the British Isles.I have found a handful originating in France, plus a much larger number who were Swiss German, the latter coming over mostly in the 18th century along with the extensive German Palatine migrations, and settling especially in southeastern Pennsylvania.American Balmers of Swiss descent have apparently traced their lineage in Switzerland back into the 1500s. The origin of the continental surname Balmer also appears to derive as a topographic name from an ancient Celtic habitation name deriving from the word Balm or ‘cave’ and was found especially in Switzerland, France and Italy.In Balmflue near Solothurn in Switzerland the Barons of Balme built a cave fortress in the 11th century (and there are today many people named Balmer in the central, German-speaking part of Switzerland, as I noted on a trip there in 1983).In northern Italy, too, a cavern in Piedmont near the village of Balma is called the Balma di Rio Martino.In southern France, a sacred cave near Marseille is in the Sainte Baume massif.
In summary, there appears to be no connection whatsoever between the “Anglo” Balmers and the “Continental” Balmers, beyond the fact that the surname in both cases appears to be of topographical and Celtic origin.
One other possible origin is given in a surname dictionary stating Balmer may derive as an occupational name for a seller of perfumes and spices, from the English/Old French basme, balme baume balm, (ointment), which comes from the Latin and Greek.I find nothing, however, to substantiate this, including any reference at all to anyone named Balmer plying that occupation.
SOURCES
oAncient Castles And Historic Mansions In Switzerland by Fritz Hauswirth (publication of Swiss National Tourist Office)
oA Dictionary Of Surnames, by Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges(Russell Library, Middletown, CT)
oBritish Family Names.By Henry Barber.
oWords and Places, or Etymological Illustrations of History, Ethnology and Geography.By Isaac Taylor.Digitalized by Google.Pg. 327 Celtic origin of word “Balm”.
oOrdnance Gazetteer of Scotland.Edited by Francis H. Groome.1892-1896.Pg. 115-117 from electricscotland.com
oThe Huguenots of Lisburn.By E. Joyce Best.
owww.lisburn.com/books/huguenots/huguenots_2.html
oEuro-Travel Atlas: Great Britain (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland).American Map (Langenscheidt).1999.
oThe Surnames Of Ireland.By Edward MacLysaght.6th Ed.
oScots-Irish: The Scot in North Britain, North Ireland and North America, Vol. 2 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002. Original data: Hanna, Charles A.. The Scotch-Irish or the Scot in North Britain, North Ireland and North America. Vol. 2. New York, NY, USA: Putnam, 1902.Index lists Balmer as Scottish name deriving from County Down.
More Replies:
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Re: Origin of the Surname Balmer, Revised (Anglo-Swiss)
John Balmer 9/12/11
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Re: Origin of the Surname Balmer, Revised (Anglo-Swiss)
Cyndy 3/13/13
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Re: Origin of the Surname Balmer, Revised (Anglo-Swiss)
William Balmer 6/02/13
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Re: Origin of the Surname Balmer, Revised (Anglo-Swiss)
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Re: Origin of the Surname Balmer, Revised (Anglo-Swiss)