Bodkin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Bodkin is an old Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a maker or seller of knives. The surname Bodkin comes from the Old English word bodkin, which is also spelled bodekin, and refers to a short, pointed weapon or dagger.

Early Origins of the Bodkin family

The surname Bodkin was first found in Kent, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Bodkin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bodkin research. Another 208 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1297, 1312, 1331, 1349, 1369, 1518, 1519, 1523, 1572, 1610, 1611, 1623, 1639, 1640, 1710, 1752 and 1779 are included under the topic Early Bodkin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bodkin Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bodkin has been recorded under many different variations, including Badkin, Bodkin, Bodekin, Badekin, Bodekyn, Badekyn, Batekyn, Bodychen, Battkin and many more.

Early Notables of the Bodkin family

More information is included under the topic Early Bodkin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bodkin Ranking

In the United States, the name Bodkin is the 13,105^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Bodkin family to Ireland

Some of the Bodkin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bodkin migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bodkin or a variant listed above:

Bodkin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Bodkin, who landed in America in 1812 2
Martin Bodkin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2

Bodkin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bodkin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Bodkin, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Trafalgar" from Galway, Ireland
Mr. James Bodkin, aged who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing 15th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th August 1847 but he died on board 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Bodkin (post 1700) +

Tom Bodkin, American newspaper designer
Odds Bodkin (b. 1953), American storyteller
Sir Archibald Henry Bodkin KCB (1862-1957), English lawyer, Director of Public Prosecutions from 1920 to 1930
Matt Bodkin (b. 1968), English football player
Sir William Henry Bodkin (1791-1874), British barrister and Conservative Party politician, son of Peter Bodkin, a member of a family long connected with the county of Galway, born at Islington 4 Aug. 1791 4
Michael Bodkin (1879-1900), Irish clerk who was the inspiration for Michael Furey in James Joyce's short story The Dead
Matthias Bodkin (1896-1973), Irish Jesuit priest and author
William Alexander Bodkin (1885-1964), New Zealand politician of the United Party, and the National Party, Minister of Civil Defence in the War Administration in 1942
Professor Thomas Patrick Bodkin (1887-1961), Irish lawyer, art historian, art collector and curator, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin from 1927 to 1935
Ronald G Bodkin, Department of Economics, at the University of Ottawa, Canada
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Bodkin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Crom-a-Boo
Motto Translation: Crom for ever.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 65)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019