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Bohan History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Bohan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Bohan is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bohan family lived in Sussex. Their name, however, does not refer to that area, but to their former place of residence, the town of Bohun, in the French maritime department of La Manche, in western Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Bohan family

The surname Bohan was first found in Sussex. Humphrey with the Beard (died c. 1113) was a Norman soldier and nobleman fought in the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 and is the earliest known ancestor of the de Bohun family. 2

He had three sons: Robert de Bohun, who had no issue; Richard de Bohun, progenitor through the female line, of the Bohuns of Midhurst; and Humphrey I de Bohun (died c.1123) who through marriage became "the founder of the fortunes of his family." His son, Humphrey II de Bohun (died 1165) continued the lineage. His son, Henry de Bohun (1176-1220), was the 1st Earl of Hereford and Hereditary Constable of England from 1199 to 1220. 3

"Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, inheriting the honour of Essex from his mother, Maud, sister and heiress of William de Mandeville, last Earl of Essex, was created Earl of that county by Henry III., and in a few years after stood sponsor for Prince Edward. In 1250, he assumed the cross, and proceeded to the Holy Land, and in the great content between the King and the Barons, fought under the banner of the latter, in whose army his son Humphrey was one of the most distinguished leaders, and commanded the infantry at the Battle of Evesham. " 2

Early History of the Bohan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bohan research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1176, 1215, 1220, 1275, 1298, 1342, 1368, 1372, 1373, 1394, 1397, 1587, 1645, 1660, 1698, 1699 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bohan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bohan Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Bohon, Bohun, Bone, Boon, Boone, Bohan, Bound and many more.

Early Notables of the Bohan family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Humphrey VII de Bohun (d. 1298), 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex, who, along with Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, led the barons in opposition to King Edward I; Humphrey de Bohun (1342-1373), 7th (and last) Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Northampton; and Mary de Bohun (c.1368-1394), who was the...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bohan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bohan Ranking

In the United States, the name Bohan is the 13,581^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Bohan family to Ireland

Some of the Bohan 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.

Bohan migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bohan or a variant listed above:

Bohan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Bohan, who arrived in South Carolina in 1755 5

Bohan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Bohan, who landed in America in 1806 5
Matthew Bohan, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 5
James Bohan, who landed in America in 1852 5
Michael Bohan, who arrived in America in 1854 5
Lawrence Bohan, who arrived in America in 1854 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bohan migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bohan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Bohan, aged 15, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
Catharine Bohan, aged 12, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
Margaret Bohan, aged 10, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
Michael Bohan, aged 29, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
Ellen Bohan, aged 27, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bohan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bohan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Bohan, (b. 1948), aged 28, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Bohan (post 1700) +

Thomas Bohan, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 14th District, 1878-80 7
Owen W. Bohan (b. 1880), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly, 1906-07, 1909 7
Michael J. Bohan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 1996, 2000, 2004; Presidential Elector for Oregon, 2012 7
John R. Bohan, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Wisconsin State Senate, 1863-64 7
Marc Roger Maurice Louis Bohan (1926-2023), French fashion designer, best known for his 30-year career at the house of Dior
Edward Joseph "Eddie" Bohan (1932-2019), Irish politician and member of the Fianna Fáil party
Daniel Joseph Bohan (1941-2016), Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church, Archbishop of the Regina Archdiocese (2005-2016)
Jim Bohan (b. 1919), former Australian rules footballer

Historic Events for the Bohan family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. James Bohan, Canadian 1st Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 8

Citations +

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)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/