Show ContentsBodden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Bodden family may have been Viking settlers. Their surname comes from a place name of Norse origins, from when they lived on the lands of Bowden, in Roxburghshire where the family held lands since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Bodden family

The surname Bodden was first found in Bowden, in Roxburghshire."For a period of about two hundred years various persons of the same surname are witnesses to a number of charters These are not mentioned as holding lands in the parish, but would appear to have been kindly tenants of the monastery who took their name from the barony. The monks of different periods were in the practice of sub-letting the lands of the barony, and some of the lands, on whatever condition originally let, came at length to be held by the parties in hereditary right". Between c, 1200 and c. 1240 one or more individuals named Richard de Boulden witnessed charters by Cecilia de Molle, Symon Maulverer, etc. Master Richard de Bouldone, parson of the parish of Edilstone, rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. William de Bolden was Abbot of Kelso in 1370, and in 1399 we have mention of the tenement of John de Bolden in Westerkelsow.' [1]

Gilbert Boddane who witnessed an instrument of sasine at Bordland of Laik, Kirkcudbrightshire in 1552. Later, John Bodane in Meiklehalf, 1686 (Kirkcudbright), and John Boddane and Williame Boddane were recorded as masters of families in the parish of Buittle, 1684. [1]

Early History of the Bodden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bodden research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1296, 1450 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bodden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bodden Spelling Variations

Standards against which to judge the accuracy of spellings and translations did not yet exist in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations in names dating from that era, are thus, an extremely common occurrence. Bodden has been recorded as Bowden, Bouden, Boulden, Bouldene, Bolden, Boldane, Boldan, Boden, Bodden and many more.

Early Notables of the Bodden family

More information is included under the topic Early Bodden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bodden Ranking

In the United States, the name Bodden is the 12,268th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]

Ireland Migration of the Bodden family to Ireland

Some of the Bodden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bodden migration to the United States +

The New World was far from the oppressive regime of the old country. It was a place where there was more land than people and political and religious freedom were far easier to come by. Many Scots even got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. In recent years, interest in this heritage has been generated by Clan societies and regular highland games in North America. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Bodden name:

Bodden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Samuel Bodden, who settled in New England in 1774
Bodden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charlotte Bodden, who settled in Texas in 1861
Bodden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Walter Bodden, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1901 [3]
  • Thomas Bodden, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1902 [3]
  • Charles Bodden, who landed in Mississippi in 1902 [3]
  • Harris Lenard and Thomas Bodden both of whom arrived in Mobile, Alabama in 1902
  • Harris Lenard Bodden, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1902 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Bodden migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bodden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Bodden, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Bodden (post 1700) +

  • Jacob Bodden (1831-1889), American politician, Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
  • Alonzo Bodden (b. 1962), American comedian and actor
  • Leigh Edmond Bodden (b. 1981), American NFL football quarterback
  • Truman Bodden (b. 1945), Caymanian politician
  • Olaf Bodden (b. 1968), German former football striker
  • John Alston Bodden (b. 1981), Honduran association football goalkeeper
  • Christie Bodden (b. 1990), Panamanian former swimmer
  • Annie Huldah Bodden (1908-1989), Caymanian civil servant, lawyer, and politician

North Sea Flood
  • R. Bodden, British worker aboard the trawler "Michael Griffith" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian


Houseofnames.com on Facebook