The Ballentine surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,289 people carried this name — #7,739 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 69,000 people counted. That is up 11% from 3,864 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Ballentine surname

A surname from Scottish Gaelic, variant of Ballantyne.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Ballentine» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

35 families named Ballentine, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 166 people lived in those households, 4.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 17
North Carolina 8
Massachusetts 2
Pennsylvania 2
South Carolina 2
Maine 1
Rhode Island 1
New York 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 228 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Ballentine in American newspapers,
1896–1909.

Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Ballentine
The Birmingham Age-herald 1909-09-11
Newspaper page from The News Boy carrying the name Ballentine
The News Boy 1896-09-26
Newspaper page from The San Francisco Call carrying the name Ballentine
The San Francisco Call 1904-07-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 16,478 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ballentine in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

239 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ballentine. The most, 43, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 103
New South Wales 64
Queensland 21
Tasmania 21
Western Australia 16
ACT (Canberra) 11
South Australia 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ballentine.

Who carried it

People named Ballentine,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Goff Ballentine
    John Goff Ballentine 1825–1915 · lawyer
  • John Jennings Ballantine
    John Jennings Ballantine 1896–1970 · military officer
  • Grace M. Ballentine 1881–1978 · photographer
  • Lynton Y. Ballentine 1899–1964 · politician
  • John J. Ballentine 1927–2006 · politician
  • William James Ballentine 1937–2015 · university teacher

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ballentine,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States333 records

333 records of the Ballentine name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 140
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 55
  • Other U.S. records 138
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Alonzo E. Ballentine

    Born 1901 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1942 at Little Rock; maid from Pulaski County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1976, buried at Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Howard E. Ballentine

    Born 1932; from Wayne County, Michigan. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; died of wounds 1953 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Anne Ballentine

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Esmeralda from Liverpool, aged 16; farmer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 333 records for Ballentine in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia38 records

38 records of the Ballentine name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 17
  • Tasmanian Names Index 11
  • Other Australian records 10
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Adam Ballentine

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lady Franklin, sailing from Norfolk Island in 1844.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John M. Ballentine

    Arrived in Queensland in 1865 aboard the Melmerby, aged 29.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joseph Arnold Ballentine

    Retired partner of Warracknabeal, Victoria; died 1963.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 38 records for Ballentine in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada26 records

26 records of the Ballentine name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 11
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • Other Canadian records 7
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Ballentine

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Medway, landing at Quebec, bound for Bracebridge, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Dorothy Jean Ballentine

    Buried in 1990 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 79.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Robert Elmer Ballentine

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 26 records for Ballentine in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

France7 records

7 records of the Ballentine name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Francois Pierre Ballentine

    Born 1906 in Jurançon; died 1978 in Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Justine Florentine Ballentine

    Born 1893 in Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques); died 1991 in Le Bouscat (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Anne-Marie Louise Ballentine

    Born 1898 in Came; died 1996 in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Ballentine in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Ballentine name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Cornelis Ballentine

    Married in 1744 in Rotterdam; born in Ireland.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Ballentine

    Buried in 1755 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Jan Ballentine

    Baptised in 1746 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Ballentine in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ballentine.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ballentine is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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