Bolch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Bolch is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived at or near a bank or ridge. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English word Balca which means dweller by the bank or ridge. 1

Early Origins of the Bolch family

The surname Bolch was first found in Oxfordshire, where William Belch was first listed as a Templar in 1185. Later, William le Belch was listed as holding lands in Essex in 1295 and Robert Balch was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1328. 1

Kirby's Quest lists "Robert Balch, Somerset, 1 Edward III" (holding lands there during the first year's reign of Edward III.) 2

Sir Toby Belch is a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Early History of the Bolch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bolch research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1295, 1327, 1332, 1604, 1659, 1669, 1670, 1735 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Bolch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolch Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bolch family name include Balch, Balche, Belch, Belche, Ballch, Bellch, Ballche and many more.

Early Notables of the Bolch family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bolch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolch migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bolch surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Bolch Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Adam Bolch, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754 3
Andreas Bolch, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 3

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
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)