Balfour

English

Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic baile (“village, town”) + pùir, genitive form of pór (“pasture, grass”).

Proper noun

Balfour (countable and uncountable, plural Balfours)

1. A settlement in Aberdeenshire council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NO7896).
2. A village in the Orkney Islands council area, Scotland, on the island of Shapinsay.
3. A small town in Southland, New Zealand.
4. A census-designated place in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States.
5. A city in McHenry County, North Dakota, United States.
6. A town in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
7. A town in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
8. A habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic.
   1. Arthur Balfour, British Prime Minister.

Derived terms

• Balfour pine
• Balfourian

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Balfour is the 13435^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2268 individuals. Balfour is most common among White (63.8%) and Black/African American (29.32%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Balfour”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 89.