Balian

The protagonist of the 2005 Ridley Scott movie, Kingdom of Heaven Balian was a real-life historical figure, also known as Balian of Ibelin, a 12th century crusader of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, who acted as the leader of the defence during the siege of the city. His actual name was Barisan, like his father before him, but Balian is believed to be the Old French adaptation.

The exact meaning of the name is unknown, but theories include that it came from the Italian town of Barisano, from the Greek barbaros ("foreign") or Evaristus ("well pleasing"), from the Hebrew Bartholomew ("son of Talmai"), or from the Egyptian bâris, describing a type of flat bottomed boat. This however is all conjecture, and cannot be guaranteed, partly owing to the fact that little is known about Barisan/Balian the Elder's origins.

Balian has been borne by German pole vaulter, Balian Buschbaum, and is the surname of Roger Balian, an important physicist. In the Philippines, it is used to describe a babaylian shaman, while in Bali, it is a native term for a traditional healer.

A rare option, it is pronounced BAY-lee-un in the film, which could make it appeal as an alternative to Bailey. It has been appearing in the US charts since 2006, peaking in 2012 when it was given to 30 boys. A more recent year saw it chosen for 15 babies.

Pronounced bah-lee-AHN.

As of October 2026, Balian ranked #6493 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #3184 in 2010, Nameberry popularity #847.