<P> Ball is an English surname that has multiple potential origins, as do quite a few other short surnames: </P> <Ul> <Li> one origin relates to the shortened form of the given name Baldwin Middle English </Li> <Li> another purported origin is related to living near a "knoll or rounded hill" </Li> <Li> the surname may also descend from the Old Norse personal name "Balle" </Li> <Li> it could be a toponymic surname, related to Ball, Cornwall, England </Li> </Ul>

Where did the last name ball originate from