Show ContentsBush History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Bush surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived by a bush. The surname Bush is derived from the Old English words busk and busche, which both are ultimately derived from the Old English word busc, which means bush. "This word, now applied to a low thick tree, formerly meant a whole wood or grove." [1]

Early Origins of the Bush family

The surname Bush was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Bush family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bush research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1490, 1517, 1558 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Bush History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bush Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Bush include Bush, Bushe, Boush, Busche, Busch, Boushe and others.

Early Notables of the Bush family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Paul Bush (or Bushe) (1490-1558), an English Augustinian and first bishop of Bristol...

Bush World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bush is the 304th most popular surname with an estimated 89,532 people with that name. [2] However, in Australia, the name Bush is ranked the 692nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,663 people with that name. [3] And in New Zealand, the name Bush is the 732nd popular surname with an estimated 983 people with that name. [4] The United Kingdom ranks Bush as 718th with 9,335 people. [5]

Ireland Migration of the Bush family to Ireland

Some of the Bush family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bush migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Bush Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Susan Bush, who arrived in Virginia in 1617 [6]
  • Jo Bush, aged 17, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" [6]
  • John Bush, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 [6]
  • Tho Bush, who landed in Virginia in 1637 [6]
  • Thomas Bush, who landed in Virginia in 1638 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bush Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Win Bush, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 [6]
  • Sarah Bush, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 [6]
  • Wm, Bush Jr., who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 [6]
  • Wrn, Bush Jr., who landed in North Carolina in 1701 [6]
  • Elloner Bush, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bush Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Bush, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 [6]
  • David Bush, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 [6]
  • Leonard Bush, who landed in Maryland in 1826 [6]
  • George Martin Bush, who arrived in New York in 1831 [6]
  • Jean Michel Bush, who landed in New York in 1838 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bush Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Henry Bush, who landed in Arkansas in 1903 [6]
  • Robert Baxter Bush, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1904 [6]
  • James Denniston Bush, who arrived in Alabama in 1920 [6]
  • Charles Christopher Bush, who arrived in Alabama in 1924 [6]

Canada Bush migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bush Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Bush, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Corporal Charles Bush U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [7]
  • Sgt. Henricus Bush U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [7]
  • Mr. Henry Bush U.E. who settled in Lincoln County, Niagara, Ontario c. 1783 [7]
  • Mr. Henry Bush U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bush Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • John Bush, aged 50, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
  • Isabella Bush, aged 50, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
  • Catherine Bush, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
  • Biddy Bush, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
  • Michael Bush, aged 16, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Bush migration to Australia +

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

Bush Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Bush, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [8]
  • Joseph Bush, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia [9]
  • William Bush, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [10]
  • Caroline Bush, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [11]
  • Mr. Jeremiah Bush, (b. 1796), aged 37, English farm labourer who was convicted in Norfolk, Norfolkshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1881 [12]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Bush migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bush Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • G F Bush, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1840
  • William Bush, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • William Bush, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tyne" in 1841
  • Jane Bush, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tyne" in 1841
  • George F. Bush, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Bush migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [13]
Bush Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. John Bush, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 [14]
  • John Bush, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Contemporary Notables of the name Bush (post 1700) +

  • President George Walker Bush (b. 1946), American politician, 43rd President of the United States, son of President George H. W. Bush
  • President George Herbert Walker Bush (1924-2018), American politician, 41st President of the United States (1989-1993)
  • Jonathan James Bush (1931-2021), American banker from Greenwich, Connecticut
  • Johnny Bush (1935-2020), American country music singer, songwriter, and musician, nicknamed the "Country Caruso", best known for writing the song "Whiskey River"
  • Barbara Pierce Bush (1925-2018), American First Lady, wife of the 41st President of the United States
  • William Henry Trotter "Bucky" Bush CStJ (1938-2018), American businessman, youngest brother of former President George H. W. Bush
  • Walter Lewis Bush Jr. (1929-2016), American ice hockey administrator, inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 and into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000
  • Vannevar Bush (1890-1974), American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing and primary organizer of the Manhattan Project
  • Hospital Apprentice First Class Robert Eugene Bush (1926-2005), American Navy Hospital Corpsman awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Battle of Okinawa
  • Master Gunnery Sergeant Richard Earl Bush (1924-2004), American Marine awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Halifax Explosion
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Robert Archibald Bush, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking [16]
USS Arizona
  • Mr. William J. Bush, American Ensign working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking [17]


Suggested Readings for the name Bush +

  • Bush Heritage: of Fairfield and Pompton Lakes, New Jersey by Glen Pierce.
  • Descendants of Daniel Bush, Sr: Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, 1750-1990 by Elizabeth Bush McCown.

  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  5. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  6. 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)
  7. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  9. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
  10. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  11. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  15. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  16. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  17. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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