Does anyone know if Balian is a version of a name "Baldwin" or is it a name of it's own with a different meaning? If so, does anybody know what could it mean? Baldwin, as far as I know, means a "brave friend"... It seems that the name was popular in the Holy Land so it maybe might have come from an eastern language, maybe Armenian or Arab?

No, sorry. Baliano is BARISANO no BALDOVINO.
bye

I don't think so. Baldwin is of Germanic origin and indeed means something like 'brave friend'. It was a very common name for the counts of Vlaanderen (la Flandre), some of them went on crusade and one even became the Emperor of Constantinople. Some counts of Henegouwen (l'Hainault) and Namen (Namur) also had Baldwin, Boudewijn, Boudouin, ... as their first name. The last but one King of Belgium was Boudewijn I.

Balian is Armenian and means something like Lord or Master and is of Arabic origin.