Bouma History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The chronicles of Scottish history reveal that the first people to use the name Bouma were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for a person who made bows, a bowyer. "This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the bowmaker,' a bowyer." 1

Early Origins of the Bouma family

The surname Bouma was first found in Peeblesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd nam Pùballan), former county in South-central Scotland, in the present day Scottish Borders Council Area, where they held a family seat in the old manor of Bower in the parish of Drummelzier. Further south "a family of the name lived in Alnwick for several centuries, and it is chiefly in Newcastle and South Northumberland." 1

"In 1343 there is entry of payment for wine for Gislinus boumaker. In 1376 John Bovmaker was bailie of Haddington, and in 1395 he was deputy of William Cockburn bailie of the same burgh. In 1396 he appears again as John Bouman, which seems to point to Bower, Bowmaker, and Bowman being the same in meaning. " 2

Early History of the Bouma family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bouma research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1343, 1376, 1385, 1395, 1417, 1422, 1449, 1539, 1557, 1558, 1563 and 1648 are included under the topic Early Bouma History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bouma Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Bouma has been spelled Bowmaker, Bowmakker, Boumaker, Bomaker, Bowmacre and many more.

Early Notables of the Bouma family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Walter Bower or Bowmaker (c. 1385-1449), Scottish chronicler, Abbot of Inchcolm (1417-1449); Thomas Bowmaker, 1539, Newcastle-on-Tyne was noted as capabvle of bearing arms; well...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bouma Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bouma Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Bouma is the 175^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,731 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Bouma family to Ireland

Some of the Bouma family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bouma migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Bouma Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Bouma, who arrived in New Jersey in 1755 4

Bouma Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

D R Bouma, aged 36, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 4
Douwe Rientzes Bouma, aged 36, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 4
D Bouma, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 4
P D Bouma, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 4
P Douwes Bouma, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bouma Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Henry Hielke Bouma, who landed in Colorado in 1907 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bouma (post 1700) +

Gary Donald Bouma AM (1942-2021), American-born, Australian author and a professor of sociology at Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria
Lance Bouma (b. 1990), Canadian professional ice hockey centre
Nicole Bouma, Canadian voice actress
Wilfred Bouma (b. 1978), Dutch footballer

The Bouma Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ad Metam
Motto Translation: To the mark.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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)