Surname Baillie - Meaning and Origin
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Baillie: What does the surname Baillie mean?
The surname Baillie most likely originates from Scotland, although it is also found in France. It is an occupational name derived from the Old French bail or 'bailiff or steward' and may refer to an official who was responsible for managing a feudal estate. A bailiff held a managerial position on a feudal estate that involved collecting taxes, resolving disputes, overseeing the collection of rents, and ensuring law and order was maintained within the estate.
The earliest known record of this surname came in 1219 when one William Le Baillie was recorded as living in Lanarkshire Scotland. In the local dialect of this region the name was translated to Bayle. By the 16th century the family had a settlement at Lamington in the Ayrshire region of Scotland. It held lands from the Bishop of Glasgow and were noted as Clan Chieftains.
Baillie is a common surname in Scotland today and can also be found in other countries where there was significant Scottish immigration in the past, such as the United States, Canada and Australia. Most people who bear this name in such countries trace their ancestry back to Scotland and many can even trace their family lines directly back to the original families of the Baillie Clan.
Order DNA origin analysisBaillie: Where does the name Baillie come from?
The last name Baillie is mostly common in Scotland. It is derived from a place in Scotland, a small parish in the County of Lanark known as Baillie. It was named by the MacKenzie family in behalf of the family of Barons Baille who were one of the oldest families in Scotland. The last name is also found in some other northern European countries like Norway and Sweden.
The Baillie surname is usually found in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The Baillie family has a long history of being influential in Scotland. There is also a family crest for the name of Baillie.
In the U.K., the last name Baillie is most commonly seen in Scotland, mainly in the South West and East Central regions. The most populous cities currently with the Baillie last name are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Paisley, Durham, Aberdeen, and Dundee.
In the United States, the Baillie last name is mostly found in the Midwest and West, specifically in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington. It is not as common as it is in Scotland but there are quite a few Baillies across the United States. The most populous cities currently with the Baillie last name are Seattle, Denver, Houston, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
The last name Baillie is associated with a long and proud heritage that dates back centuries. It is a common last name in Scotland and other places around the world, such as the U.K., the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Variations of the surname Baillie
The surname Baillie is derived from the Old French word “baille” which means “keeper or steward” and is associated with many variations of spellings in Scotland and England. Some of the more common variants are Bailie, Bailey, Baly, Baleigh, Bayley, Baylee, Bail, Bale, Bailley, Bailer, and Balli.
More rarely used spellings include Bayllyey and Bailliegh. In addition, some surnames with the same root can extend beyond the official Baillie variations. These include Baille, Bayel, Bailhache, Bayle, Balley, Ballie, Bayles and Balis.
There are several variations of the surname Baillie found in Scotland and Ireland, where the spelling has had many different spellings over time. The oldest of the Baillies in Scotland is that of Argyll, the Earls of Argyll being the most important of the Baillies. In England, the spelling has also evolved over the years, but the principal families of Baillie are still found in Scotland and Ireland.
The Scottish variant of the surname is sometimes spelled “Bailzie” or “Bailies”. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, historically, “Bailies” is sometimes used interchangeably with “Baillies”. One of the most notable members of the Bailies family was Judge John Baillie (born in Edinburgh in 1703). In Europe, there is an alternative spelling, “Bailí”, which was used in Spain by a distinguished family of Baillies from the Basque region.
Surnames related to the Baillies include Bailes, Bails, Bale, Baylis, Ballis, Baylez, Baylies, Balis and Bailhache. The Baillie family is also related to the Menteith family of Scotland, as a result of a merger of dynasties in the 1600s. Baillie is an ancient Scottish surname that was first found in Ayrshire where they were anciently seated from very early times and were granted the lands of Dunure and Townhead in that county by King William the Lion.
Famous people with the name Baillie
- Neil Baillie, botanist and plant biologist from Scotland
- John Baillie, British-American theologian
- Sir Patrick Baillie, British politician
- Lachlan Baillie, Scottish playwright, actor, and director
- Andrew Baillie, Gaelic-speaking, Scottish order-maker
- William Baillie, eighteenth-century Scottish soldier
- Mary Baillie, English sculptor
- Lewis Baillie, British film production designer
- Matthew Baillie, Scottish physician and medical writer
- Lois Baillie, Scottish female golfing professional
- Graeme Baillie, former Australian rules footballer
- Sir William Baillie, 6th Baronet, Scottish landowner and aristocrat
- Thomas Baillie, British-Canadian Prime Minister
- Donald Baillie, Scottish hymnwriter and minister
- Andrew Baillie, Baron Baillie, Scottish barrister and judge
- Magnus Baillie, Australian rugby league player
- Fergus Baillie, former British Member of Parliament
- John Ritchie Baillie, American musician and composer
- James Baillie, British civil engineer
- Edward Baillie, English botanist, and collector