BALERDI The Author Jaime Kerexeta says that the origin of this surname is in ARAIZ, a village of Nabarra, with a lot of branches in many other places of the Basque Country: Tolosa, Donostia (St.Sebastian), Mondragon (since 1551), Amezketa (since 1774), (all these villages in Gipuzkoa), and from this places to all the basque Country (French and Spanish).

Meaning: Most authors think than is a Variation of the word BELARDI, that means: BELAR: grass, and DI: sufix that show abundance, so the complete meaning Would be place of grass, or pasture.

Other possibility is VAL: Romance old word for Valey, and ERDI: basque word that means The middle, so thye meaning would be "In the middle of the valey" (I prefer the first option than this).

In Gipuzkoa there is a house with this name in Tolosa (quarter auzotxiki), and another house or farm in Donostia, but we know that the owner was Diego Balerdi who lived in 1566 in Donostia and was descendant of the House Balerdi of Araiz in Nabarra (perhaps he was the one who carried the surname to Gipuzkoa).

Proves of Nobility: In Segura (1607), Urretxu (1636), Amezketa (1774) all in Gipuzkoa, and in Bilbao in 1830.

Coat of arms: there are four coats of this surname depending of the branche (if you are interested I can describe them, but in spanish).

In Gipuzkoa, there are more people with this surname than in the other provinces, so I supose your father is descendant from Gipuzkoa, in any case there are families with this surname in:

BIZKAIA: Bilbao, Elorrio

GIPUZKOA: Amezketa, Andoain, Arrasate, Beasain, Eibar, Errenteria, Donostia, Hernani, Irun, Irura, Lasarte, Ordizia, Orio, Ormaiztegi, Tolosa, Usurbil,

LABURDI: Anglet, Donibane L, Hendaia, Urruna,Arcangues,Biarritz,

NAFARROA: Aiegi, Arazuri, Goizueta, Iruna, Zudaire

OUTSIDE: Argentina, Peru

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