Save Type Surname (from nickname & from location) Usage English Pronounced Pron. BAWL [key·IPA] Meaning & History From Middle English bal, Old English beall meaning "ball". This was either a nickname for a rotund or bald person, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a ball-shaped feature. Categories alpinists, body parts, colleges or universities, comedians, English nouns, English verbs, Goo Goo Dolls songs, hair, Interpol songwriting, Jackson Browne lyrics, landforms, NBA players, sizes, The Pretenders lyrics, word names