Boken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The name Boken is another word for the occupational "archer." Or in other words, "a fighting man armed with a bow; one who made bows." 1 It is a fairly "common name on the English border under the Percys, and derived from their weapon-the long bow." 2 At one time, "Bowman was the name of a Border Clan of Northumberland." 3

Early Origins of the Boken family

The surname Boken was first found in Westmorland where one of the earliest records of the family was Adam Bogheman was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1223. A few years later in Northumberland, Thomas Bouman was found in the Assize Rolls for 1279. In Cheshire, Nicholas the Bowemon, the Bouman was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1286-1287. 4

Just over the northern border of Northumberland in Scotland, Gregory Bovman rendered to Exchequer the accounts of the Sheriff of Aberdeen in 1328 and appears as Gregory dictus Bowman in an inquisition in Aberdeen in 1333. "Gyb Bowman in Aberdeen was charged with being a forestaller in 1402. Robert Bowman, a follower of the earl of Cassilis, was respited for murder in 1526. The surname is common in the West Coast, and is found in Glasgow so early as 1550 (Protocols, I), and in Stirling in 1592." 5

Early History of the Boken family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boken research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1621, 1660, 1677, 1679, 1704, 1723, 1733, 1784 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Boken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boken Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bowman, Boeman, Boyman, Boman and others.

Early Notables of the Boken family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Sir Robert Bowman of Northumberland; Seymour Bowman (c. 1621-1704), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Old Sarum in 1660; and John Bowman (1733-1784), Virginia and Kentucky soldier and official. Henry Bowman published at Oxford in 1677 a thin folio...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boken Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boken family to Ireland

Some of the Boken family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boken migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Boken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elisab Boken, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1850 6

The Boken 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: Numine et arcu
Motto Translation: The bow by God's providence.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)