Show ContentsBolgare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bolgare has changed considerably in the time that has passed since its genesis. It originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Bolguidir, which likely meant yellow belly (from bolg odhar). 1

Early Origins of the Bolgare family

The surname Bolgare was first found in Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, and, even today, the name is only very rarely found outside the province of Leinster in Ireland. 2

Early History of the Bolgare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bolgare research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1570, 1608, 1672 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Bolgare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolgare Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Bolgare revealed many variations, including Bollger, Bulger, Boulger, O'Bolger, O'Bulger, Bolger, Bolgire, Bulgire, O'Bulgire, O'Bolgire and many more.

Early Notables of the Bolgare family

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

Migration of the Bolgare family

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Bolgare or a variant listed above, including: John Bolger who settled in Boston Massachusetts with his wife Cathy in 1804; typical of the five families who left Ireland during the Potato Famine between 1846/1854 was Thomas Bolger, his wife and five children who sailed on the ".



The Bolgare 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: Deus nobis Haec Otio Fecit
Motto Translation: God made ??us this leisure


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)


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