Bolles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Ireland

Bolles is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bolles family lived in Lincolnshire. The name, however, is a reference to the family's former residence in Bouelles, near Neufchatel, in Normandy. 1

The Domesday Book "presents us with two tenants in chief called Bolle and Bollo, the former in Hants, and the latter in Dorset. Bouelles is the name of a place near Neufchatel in Normandy. " 2

However, two junior sources claim the name is a trade name for "one who made or sold concave vessels or bowls." 3 4

And one source claims the name was "probably from the sign of an inn, as 'John at the Bowl,' i. e., at the sign of the bowl." 5

Early Origins of the Bolles family

The surname Bolles was first found in Lincolnshire where they settled after the Norman Conquest. They were originally from Bouelles, near Neufchatel in Normandy where it was listed under the spellings Bowles or Buelles. 1

"Bowles is an old Wiltshire name. The most influential families bearing this name are said to have come from Bristol during the 15th century. In the following century they were resident in Burcombe, and during the 18th century they supplied sheriffs and members of parliament for the county." 6

Entries in early rolls were scarce, but we did find: John de Boweles in the Feet of Fines for Huntingdonshire in 1292. 7

Early History of the Bolles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bolles research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1619, 1637, 1644, 1645, 1652, 1661, 1662, 1663, 1669, 1690, 1696, 1702, 1714, 1722, 1728, 1742, 1762, 1773, 1786 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Bolles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolles Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bolles are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bolles include Bowles, Bolles, Boles, Bowls, Boals and others.

Early Notables of the Bolles family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

The Bolles Baronetcy, of Scampton in the County of Lincolnshire began with Sir John Bolles, 1st Baronet of Scampton, Lincolnshire. The line contiued with: Sir Robert Bolles, 2nd Baronet (1619-1663), a...

Bolles Ranking

In the United States, the name Bolles is the 12,890^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Bolles family to Ireland

Some of the Bolles family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolles migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Bolles, or a variant listed above:

Bolles Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Bolles, (Bowles), who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 9
Joseph Bolles, who landed in Maine in 1640 10

Bolles Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Bolles, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 10
S Bolles, who arrived in Mississippi in 1831 10
Heinrich Bolles, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 10
Henry Bolles, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 10
Miss Bolles, who landed in Brazil in 1875 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Bolles (post 1700) +

Richard Nelson Bolles (1927-2017), American Episcopal clergyman and the author of What Color Is Your Parachute?
Stephen Bolles (1866-1941), American politician, congressman from Wisconsin
John Savage Bolles (1905-1983), San Francisco architect
Robert C. Bolles (1928-1994), American psychologist
Richard Bolles Paddock (1859-1901), United States Army officer, one of the few American officers who died in China during the Boxer Rebellion

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)