In Croatia, Balai families are predominantly Croats (from Osijek area ), rarely Hungarians (also from Osijek area ). In the past century, relatively most of Croatian residents bearing this family name were born in Osijek area.
Prevalence
Only a few people with faimily name Balai live in Croatia today, in two households only. There were 10 of them in the middle of the past century, and their number decreased significantly. They are located in only one small Croatian place, in Laslovo in Osijek area (<5).
In the sources analysed in the project Acta Croatica so far, the name is mentioned few times, the first time 1902 in source Hartmann's General List of Apartments in Zagreb.