Where the Balches Came From:
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The earliest information we have about the origins of the Balch family says that they originated in the county of Somerset in the southwestern part of the United Kingdom (see map). Some sources talk off John Balch (first Balch to America) originally coming from the town of Bridgwater while others suggest that he was from Horton. Whichever town John came from we at least know that he was born in the county of Somerset.

Any point of origin for the Balch family, before Somerset, is unknown. I did, however, come across various sources on the internet that suggest maybe the Balch family is of Welsh origin. Wales is only a short distance north of Somerset so this theory seems plausible to me.

I found several sources, on the internet, that stated the Balch family is of Welsh origin. In a book called The History of Mecklenburg County: From 1740-1900 we see a discusion of the Balch family and some of its members impact on Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. This book talks about the Balch family and says:

"The Balch family was originally from Wales, and the name signifies "proud" in the Welsh language.

I also found an article in The Huntsville Times that says the Balch family is of Welsh Origin. I looked up Balch in an online English/Welsh dictionary and found the word with the definition of "proud". In this Welsh dictionary I also found a pronounciation sound clip that gives a different way of pronouncing our name. I still lack any more definite proof, to establish the Welsh origin of the family, but it seems like a reasonable theory to me. If anyone can help me find more conclusive proof I would appreciate your help.

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