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Bunyan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Bunyan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

The name Bunyan is from the rugged landscape of Wales. It is a Celtic name that was derived from the Welsh personal name Enion, which was also spelled Einion and Eignon. The surname Bunyan features the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix ab-. The original form of the name was ab- Enion,but the prefix has been assimilated into the surname over the course of time and the overall spelling has sometimes been extensively altered. 1 2

"I wrote a series of articles some years ago entitled the 'Romance of the London Directory,' afterwards printed in book form. I stated that Bunyan was Bonjean, and that when we talked of' Good John Bunyan' we simply said 'Good John' twice over. This, I believe, was incorporated in a recent life of the great dreamer. But writing more soberly now, and after more study, I feel fairly confident that Bunyan's ancestry was Welsh. The great personal name of Enion or Eignon has left a very varied number of Welsh surnames, for 'Ab-Enion,' as Benyon will show, played freely with the vowels. " 3

Early Origins of the Bunyan family

The surname Bunyan was first found in Bedfordshire where Henry Buniun was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1204. Over one hundred years later, Simon Boynon was found in Bedfordshire in the Subsidy Rolls of 1309. 4

"In 1199 one William Buniun held land at Wilstead, a mile from Elstow [Bedfordshire]. In 1327 one of the same name, probably his descendant, William Boynon, was living at the hamlet of Harrowden, at the south-eastern boundary of the parish, close to the very spot which tradition marks out as John Bunyan's birthplace, and which the local names of 'Bunyan's End,' 'Bunyan's Walk,' and 'Farther Bunyan's' (as old, certainly, as the middle of the sixteenth century) connect beyond all question with the Bunyan family. A field known as 'Bonyon's End' was sold in 1548 by 'Thomas Bonyon of Elstow, labourer,' son of William Bonyon, to Robert Curtis, and other portions of his ancestral properly gradually passed to other purchasers, little being left to descend to John Bunyan's grandfather, Thomas Bunyan (d. 1641), save the 'cottage or tenement' in which he carried on the occupation of 'petty chapman,' or small retail trader." 5

"As Roger and John Buignon were sons of John Buignon, the surname, which has been noted only in Bedfordshire, was already hereditary in 1227 (Assize Rolls of Bedfordshire), when it appears as Buingon, Buinon, Buignon and Bungnon in the neighbourhood of Ampthill and Bedford." 4

Early History of the Bunyan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bunyan research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1046, 1204, 1227, 1309, 1628 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Bunyan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bunyan 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 Bunyan has occasionally been spelled Bunyon, Banyen, Benion, Benyan, Benyon, Bunyan, Bunyen, Banion, Banyan, O'Banion, O'Benyon and many more.

Early Notables of the Bunyan family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

John Bunyan (1628-1688), author of "Pilgrim's Progress" and many other works...
Their first place of settlement appears to have been the parish of Pulloxhill, about nine miles from John Bunyan's native village5...

Migration of the Bunyan family to Ireland

Some of the Bunyan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bunyan 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 Bunyan

Bunyan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Bunyan, who arrived in New York in 1748 6

Bunyan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Bunyan, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1888 6

Bunyan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Florence May Bunyan, aged 42, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England 7
John Gushom Bunyan, aged 1, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England 7
Daniel Bunyan, aged 16, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Glasgow, Scotland 7
George Bunyan, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Mobile" from Liverpool, England 7
Julia Bunyan, aged 35, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Cedric" from Liverpool, England 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bunyan migration to Australia +

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

Bunyan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Bunyan, (b. 1801), aged 26, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1829 8
Mr. Benjamin Bunyan, English convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Bunyan (post 1700) +

Maurice Taylor Bunyan (1894-1967), English association football player and manager
Charles Cyril Bunyan Jr. (1892-1975), English professional football player and manager
Charles Bunyan Sr. (1869-1922), English professional football player and manager
Jason Michael Bunyan (1979-2007), former England under-21 international speedway, Premier League Fours Champion (2007)
Vashti Bunyan (b. 1945), influential English singer-songwriter
Bunyan Bryant (b. 1935), American Democratic Party politician, Citizens Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1980 ; Candidate in primary for Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1985; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1988 10

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html