Balfour Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Balfour last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Balfour last name
Meaning of the Balfour last name: pasture village. Balfour is a Scottish surname from the lands of Balfour in Fife, from Gaelic baile, "settlement", and a word for pasture. The family was established in Fife by the thirteenth century. The last name is known through Arthur Balfour, British prime minister, and the Balfour Declaration.
Arms associated with the Balfour name
Coats of arms associated with the Balfour surname follow Scottish heraldry, where each blazon belongs to one bearer.
Get your full Balfour family history
This is only a glimpse of the Balfour story. The full Balfour history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Balfour coat of arms. Get the full Balfour report.
Balfour name FAQ
What does the Balfour name mean?
Pasture village. Common variants include Balfoure.
Where does the Balfour surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Balfour coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Balfour coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).