Bennyen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The name Bennyen 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 Bennyen 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 Bennyen family

The surname Bennyen 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 Bennyen family

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

Bennyen Spelling Variations

Compared to other ancient cultures found in the British Isles, the number of Welsh surnames are relatively few, but there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations. These spelling variations began almost as soon as surname usage became common. People could not specify how to spell their own names leaving the specific recording up to the individual scribe or priest. Those recorders would then spell the names as they heard them, causing many different variations. Later, many Welsh names were recorded in English. This transliteration process was extremely imprecise since the Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh used many sounds the English language was not accustomed to. Finally, some variations occurred by the individual's design: a branch loyalty within a family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The Bennyen name over the years has been spelled Bunyon, Banyen, Benion, Benyan, Benyon, Bunyan, Bunyen, Banion, Banyan, O'Banion, O'Benyon and many more.

Early Notables of the Bennyen family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was John Bunyan (1628-1688), author of "Pilgrim's Progress" and many other works. He was born at the village of Elstow, Bedfordshire, a little more than a mile south of the town of Bedford, in November 1628. The family of Buignon, Buniun...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bennyen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bennyen family to Ireland

Some of the Bennyen 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.

Migration of the Bennyen family

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Bennyen: Robert Bunyon who settled in Georgia in 1733 with his wife and two daughters; James Bunyon settled in New England in 1764; Anne Bunyon settled in New England in 1754..

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