Show ContentsBoggans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Boggans claims Normandy, France as their original homestead. It is here that "Herebertus Bogin occurs in Normandy [in] 1180," according to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 1 Landing in England, sometime after the Conquest, the family had a wide variety of spellings in use at that time. One noted source presumes that name was "a diminutive of the Middle English word bugge meaning ‘hobgoblin, bogey, scarecrow’. 2

Early Origins of the Boggans family

The surname Boggans was first found in Staffordshire where Thomas Buggynges was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1380. A very rare name we must look to the 16th century to find William Buggyns in Devon in 1560. 2

Boggins are characters in a traditional annual event and game named Haxey Hood, which has been held at Haxey, North Lincolnshire, England since the 14th century. For this fun event, Boggins are people of the nearby bog.

Early History of the Boggans family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boggans research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1510, 1551 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Boggans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boggans Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Boggans family name include Buggins, Buggin, Buggyn, Buggine, Buggan, Buggans, Boggins, Boggans, Buckins, Buckin, Bockin, Buggen, Buggens and many more.

Early Notables of the Boggans family

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

Migration of the Boggans family

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Boggans family to immigrate North America: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. 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)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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