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![Show Contents]() Bocher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Bocher was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a person who worked as a "butcher." The name is derived from the Old English root "boucher," or the Old French root, "bouchier." Another possible derivation suggests that the name was given to families who dwelt in the French area of Boursieres. The two names have become confused over time, and the derivation of individual cases is subsequently extremely difficult to determine. Early Origins of the Bocher familyThe surname Bocher was first found in Salop (Shropshire) where they held a family seat after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Anciently the family held lands in Burgundy, to which they gave the name Boursieres. 1 Early History of the Bocher familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bocher research. Another 241 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1450, 1548, 1549, 1550, 1583 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Bocher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bocher Spelling VariationsBefore English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Bocher include Butcher, Butchere, Butchers, Boucher, Bucher, Buchere, Boutcher and many more. Early Notables of the Bocher familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - Joan Bocher or Joan Boucher or Butcher (died 1550), an English Anabaptist burned at the stake for heresy. She was arrested as a heretic in 1548 and convicted in April 1549. 2
Bocher RankingIn France, the name Bocher is the 3,610th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3  Migration of the Bocher family to Ireland
Some of the Bocher family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 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 Bocher familyIn England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Bochers to arrive on North American shores: Frances Butcher who settled in Virginia in 1623; followed by John in 1649; another John settled in Barbados in 1678; Thomas settled in Jamaica in 1690.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bocher (post 1700) | + |
- Maxime Bocher (1867-1918), American mathematician
- Main Rousseau Bocher (1891-1976), American founder of the fashion house "Mainbocher Couture" in Paris
- Ferdinand Bocher (1832-1902), writer, and Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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England
Germany
Ireland
