Bede History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The ancient history of the Bede name begins in the Middle Ages in the northern coastal region of Normandy. The name is derived from when the family resided in Bretagne, where the family held a family seat since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Bede family

The surname Bede was first found in Brittany (Bretagne) where the family held a family seat in early times. 1

Alain Bedel, a knight, is mentioned in historic documents. The members of the different branches of the family became the lords of la Reignerais, in the diocese of Saint-Brieuc, and the lords of Lairye and of Tertre, in the region of Vannes. The branch Bedel reaffirmed its title to nobility in the year 1666 in Normandy. 1

Isaac Bedard, born in 1616, was a carpenter that travelled from France to Canada on 1st May 1662 along with his wife, Marie (née Girard). Together they had three children, two of which were sons, Louis and Jacques, that carried on the family name of Bedard. Isaac died in Charlesbourg, Quebec and was buried on 15th January 1689. 2

Early History of the Bede family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bede research. Another 35 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1804, 1810, 1847 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Bede History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bede Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Bede is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Bédel, Bedel, Bedeau, Bedaux, Bedaud, Bédard, Bedard, Bédat, Bedat, Bédarieux, Bédarrieux, Bédarride, Bédarridat, Dubédel, Dubedel, Dubedeau, Dubedaux, Dubedaud, Dubedat and many more.

Early Notables of the Bede family

Notable amongst this name at this time was

Marie Alphonse Bedeau (1804-1863), a French general who distinguished himself in Algeria, where he was later appointed governor general in 1847

Bede migration to the United States +

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Bede has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Bede were

Bede Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Bede, who arrived in New York in 1818 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Bede (post 1700) +

James R. "Jim" Bede (1933-2015), American aircraft designer
James Adam Bede (1856-1942), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Minnesota 8th District, 1903-09 4
Paul Bede Johnson (1928-2023), English journalist, historian, speechwriter, author and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006)
John Bede Polding (1794-1877), English prelate born in Liverpool, 1st Roman Catholic archbishop of Sydney, Australia
Joseph Bede Symonds OBE (1900-1985), British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Whitehaven (1959–1970)
Richard Bede McCosker (b. 1946), former Australian cricketer who played for New South Wales (1973-1974 and 1983-1984), Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976
John Bede Dalley (1876-1935), Australian journalist and novelist, editor of Melbourne Punch
William Bede Dalley (1831-1888), Australian politician and barrister; the first Australian appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Roger Bede Nott (1908-2000), Australian politician, Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (1941 to 1961)
Bede Vincent Heather (1928-2021), Australian Roman Catholic titular bishop of Obbi and auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia, from 1979 to 1986

Citations +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. 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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html