Show ContentsBode History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Bode surname is derived from German word "boden," which means "floor" or "bottom." It is thought that the first Bode family may have lived in the bottom of a valley.

Early Origins of the Bode family

The surname Bode was first found in the duchy of Brunswick, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Bode family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bode research. Another 243 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1707, 1713, 1720, 1730, 1740, 1747, 1793 and 1832 are included under the topic Early Bode History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bode Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bode, Boden, Boder, Bohde, Bohden, Boede, Boedde and many more.

Early Notables of the Bode family

Notables of the time included

  • Johann Joachim Bode (1720-1793), who was a prominent publisher and translator in Weimar, as well as a friend and business partner of the great Lessing. Johann Joachim Christoph Bode was born at Barum...
  • Major Baron von Bode commanded the 1st battalion of the 1st Gardelandwehr-regiment of the Prussian army in 1832. Another Baron von Bode was the noted calvary captain of the 2nd Prussian dragoon regime...

Bode Ranking

In the United States, the name Bode is the 5,103rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1]


United States Bode migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bode Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Laurens Bode, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1766 [2]
  • Lorentz Bode, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1766 [2]
  • Martin Bode, who arrived in America in 1778 [2]
  • Friedrich Bode, who arrived in America in 1780 [2]
  • Heinrich Bode, who landed in America in 1780 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bode Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Hinrich Bode, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 [2]
  • Johann H Bode, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 [2]
  • Just Bode, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1804 [2]
  • Herman Bode, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 [2]
  • Just, Elisabeth, Christian and Catharina Bode, who, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1804
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Bode migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bode Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Charles Bodé U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 19 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York, traveling with his wife and 2 children [3]
  • Mrs. Ann Bodé U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 71 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York, traveling with his wife and 2 children [3]
  • Miss Mary Bodé U.E. (b. 1773), aged 10 who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 124 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York, traveling with his wife and 2 children [3]
  • Miss Margaret Bodé U.E. (b. 1765), aged 18 who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 123 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York, traveling with his wife and 2 children [3]

New Zealand Bode 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:

Bode Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James R. Bode, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th February 1856 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Bode (post 1700) +

  • Boyd Henry Bode (1873-1953), American educator, professor of education at Ohio State University
  • Ralf D Bode (1941-2001), German-born, American cinematographer
  • Hendrik Wade Bode (1905-1982), American (Dutch descent) electrical engineer and academic
  • Elert Bode (b. 1934), Breslau-born, German television actor
  • Johann Elert Bode (1747-1826), German astronomer
  • Wolfram Bode (b. 1942), German biochemist
  • John Ernest Bode (1816-1874), English divine, son of William Bode, of the post office [5]
  • Johnny Bode (1912-1983), Swedish singer and composer
  • Bode Miller (b. 1977), American Olympic alpine skier who won gold, three sliver, and two bronze medals at the 2002, 2020, and 2014 games


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. 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
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019


Houseofnames.com on Facebook