Show ContentsBad History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Of all the French names to come from that northwestern peninsula of France known as Brittany, Bad is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Brittany, where this ancient family was well established in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Bad family

The surname Bad was first found in Brittany, where this ancient family was well established in the Middle Ages.

Early History of the Bad family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bad research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1481, 1489, 1645 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Bad History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bad Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Bad, some of which include Badier, Badière, Badaire, Bad and others.

Early Notables of the Bad family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

  • Floremond Badier, 17th century Parisian bookbinder

Bad Ranking

In the United States, the name Bad is the 17,894th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Bad migration to the United States +

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Bad were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Bad were

Bad Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Wilhelm Bad, who landed in Texas in 1846 2
  • B B Bad, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • P. Bad, who arrived in San Francisco, California, in 1852


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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