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Bon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Bon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
France
Italy

The earliest origins of the Bon surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name reveals that an early member was a person who was of good character. It originally derived from the Old French as le bon which was used as a term of endearment. The surname was adopted in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. 1

Early Origins of the Bon family

The surname Bon was first found in Oxfordshire, where Edward le Bon was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1204. In Wiltshire, the first record there was that of Rocelin le Bun who appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1255. Walter le Bone was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and Thomas Bonne was found in Herefordshire in 1379. 2

Walter Buns was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Rogerus Bonne; and Johannes Bunne. 3

Early History of the Bon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bon research. Another 229 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1204, 1255, 1296, 1379, 1500, 1618, 1788, 1796, 1823, 1826, 1830, 1833, 1840 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Bon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bon Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bon are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bon include: Bunn, Bun, Bon, Bonn, Bone, Bonne, Bunne and others.

Early Notables of the Bon family

Notables of the family at this time include Alfred Bunn (1796-1860), a prominent theatrical figure who served as joint manager of the Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres in London in the 1830s. Elliston gave him his first appointment as stage-manager of Drury Lane in 1823, when he was quite a young man; and he first obtained a certain celebrity as a manager by endeavouring some dozen years afterwards to establish an English Opera. In 1826 he was manager of the Birmingham Theatre, and in 1833 held the same post at Drury Lane and Covent Garden. For most of these operas...
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bon Ranking

In France, the name Bon is the 510^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,812 people with that name. 4

Bon migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bon or a variant listed above:

Bon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Berman Bon, who settled in Germantown in 1691
Herman Bon, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1691 5
Peter Bon came with his wife, Gerritje, to Germantown in 1696

Bon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Louiss Bon, who settled in Virginia in 1700
Louiss Bon, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1700 5
Louisa Bon, who landed in Virginia in 1700 5
Wentell Bon, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 5
John Peter Bon, who settled in Philadelphia in 1752
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alfonso Bon, who arrived in New Spain in 1838 5
Bernabe De Bon, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1872 5

Bon migration to Australia +

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

Bon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Bon, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Birman" in 1840 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Bon (post 1700) +

Adelbert Du Bon (b. 1878), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Windsor, 1919-20 7
Christophe Bon d'Estournelles, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Louis André Bon, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Antoine Louis Charles Bon, University Professor, Paris
Henri Bon (b. 1941), French physician and parapsychologist
Naftali Bon, Kenyan runner
Michel Bon, French businessman and politician
Louis André Bon, French general
François Bon, French novelist
Bartolomeo Bon, Italian sculptor and architect

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BIRMAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Birman.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Christophe Bon. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Louis Bon. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html