Baltzell

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of German origin, borne by people such as the American sociologist E. Digby Baltzell
2. A surname of German origin carried by various individuals, including the American sociologist E. Digby Baltzell
3. Used as a family name of German origin, notably by the American sociologist E. Digby Baltzell and his relatives

Etymology: Baltzell is a German family name that descends from the given name Balthasar, one of the three Magi in the Christian Nativity story. Balthasar reached German through Latin and Greek forms, and it goes back to the Babylonian name Belshazzar, which means something like "Bel, protect the king." Surnames built on a saint's or biblical name were very common in German-speaking lands, and Balthasar was a popular given name there, so forms such as Baltzer, Balzer and Baltzell all grew out of it. The "-ell" ending is a spelling variant rather than a separate root, and the family's own branch of the name is what settled on this form. Its exact origin in a particular family cannot be traced from the name alone.