Given name & surname
Balfour
“from the grazing land”
Balfour is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “from the grazing land.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “from the grazing land.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Balfour through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10
- 10 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1914
- 5 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1928. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,198 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Balfour’s family of names
Balfour has a related form in Balfer. Balfour has a related form in Balfor. Balfour has a related form in Balfore.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Balfour
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Balfour, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dunbar
“from the castle at the headland”
>99% boys
Beattie
“one who brings joy”
>99% boys
Kester
“from the Roman army's camp” · “a follower of Christ”
>99% boys
Gilmore
“a servant of the Virgin Mary”
>99% boys
Alphonsus
“prepared for battle; eager and ready”
>99% boys
Athol
“from the new Ireland”
>99% boys
Moffett
“field, plain”
>99% boys
Dorsey
“from the fortress near the sea”
87% boys · 13% girls