Bona History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The surname Bona was created from the personal name Bona, which is derived from the Latin name Bonus, which means "good." The popularity of the personal name Bonus, was in part due to the name being borne by a 3rd-century Christian saint, martyred at Rome.

Early Origins of the Bona family

The surname Bona was first found in the city of Milan, where earliest records are of the Bonacina family in 1220.

Early History of the Bona family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bona research. The years 1350, 1463, 1495, 1512, 1529, 1565, 1654, 1669, 1688, 1698, 1710, 1736, 1738, 1739, 1762, 1766, 1774, 1781, 1788 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Bona History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bona Spelling Variations

Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Bona. These spelling variations include Boni, Bono, Bona, Bon, Buono, De Boni, De Bonis, De Bono, De Buono, Del Bono, Della Bona, Del Buono, Di Bono, Lo Bono, Lobono, Lo Buono, Bonelli, Bonello, Boniello, Bonetti, Bonetto, Bonet, Bonini, Bonino, Bonin, Bonucci, Bonuccelli, Bonioli, Boniolo, Bonotti, Boniotti, Boniotto, Bononi, Bonon, Bonacci, Bonaccio, Bonaccini, Bonazzi, Bonazza, Bonassi, Bonassini, Bonassin, Bonassili, Bonaca, Bonaga, Bonaghi, Bonaldi, Bonaldo, Bonaudo, Bonani, Bonandi, Bonardi, Bonati, Bonato, Bonatti, Boneri, Boneschi, Bonacina, Bonico, Bonici, Bonichi, Bonicelli, Bonicco, Bonito, Bonutti and many more.

Early Notables of the Bona family

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was

Andrea Boni was a Florentine banker in the 16th century. Giovanni Bona of Genoa, was made Cardinal in 1669
Giacomo Boni was a prominent architect in Venice in 1859. Giovanni Bonazza,(1654-1736) was a prominent sculptor active in Padua

Bona Ranking

In the United States, the name Bona is the 17,036^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Bona is ranked the 9,307^th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2

Bona migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Bona:

Bona Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Pedro Bona, who arrived in America in 1827 3
Theodore Bona, aged 38, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1836 3
Jose Bona, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1868 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Bona (post 1700) +

Stanislaus Vincent Bona (1888-1967), American Roman Catholic bishop
Jerry Lloyd Bona (b. 1945), American mathematician
Richard Bona (b. 1967), American jazz bassist and musician
Bona Arsenault (1903-1993), Canadian Acadian historian, genealogist and politician, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Matapédia (1968-1976), Member of the Canadian Parliament for Bonaventure (1945-1957)
Bona Dussault (1882-1953), former Quebec provincial politician and Cabinet Minister

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)