Show ContentsBude History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

A product of the ancient Brythonic Celts of Wales, the name Bude, is from the Old English personal name Budda, which is derived from the word budda, which means beetle. The root meaning of budda is to swell, and the surname Bude may also be a nickname applied to a fat person, or perhaps ironically, to a thin one.

Early Origins of the Bude family

The surname Bude was first found in Cornwall, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Bude family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bude research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1025, 1066, 1135 and 1170 are included under the topic Early Bude History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bude Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Bude has occasionally been spelled Budd, Budde, Bud, Budds, Bude and others.

Early Notables of the Bude family

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


United States Bude migration to the United States +

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Bude

Bude Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Heinrich Bude, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 1
  • Johan Ludwig Bude, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 1
  • Aktuarias Bude, who arrived in America in 1764-1798 1
  • Mrs. Bude, who landed in America in 1795 1
Bude Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Valentin Bude, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 1


  1. 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)


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