Bonhomme History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Bonhomme surname is derived from the Old French words "bon" and "homme," in turn from the Latin "bonus homo" both of which literally meant "good man," but also came to mean a "peasant farmer."

Early Origins of the Bonhomme family

The surname Bonhomme was first found in Wiltshire at Bonham, a hamlet now in the parish of Stourton with Gasper. "Bonham, though placed in the Ordo, and even in some ancient documents, as in Somersetshire, is really in Wilts. The small manor and tything of Bonham had formerly belonged to a family of that name (Editha Bonham, elected abbess of Shaftesbury 15th November, 1441, obiit 20th April, 1460), and afterwards came into the possession of the Stourtons." 1

Early History of the Bonhomme family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonhomme research. Another 211 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1247, 1273, 1327, 1500, 1545, 1549, 1550, 1597, 1611 and 1629 are included under the topic Early Bonhomme History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonhomme Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Bonhomme were recorded, including Bonham, Bonhume, Bonhomme, Bonhom, Bonhome, Bonum, Bonem and many more.

Early Notables of the Bonhomme family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Bonham, English politician, Member of the Parliament of England for Chippenham in 1545, High Sheriff of Wiltshire from 1549 to...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bonhomme Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonhomme Ranking

In France, the name Bonhomme is the 409^th most popular surname with an estimated 10,392 people with that name. 2

Bonhomme migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Bonhomme family emigrate to North America:

Bonhomme Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

I, Bonhomme, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
Barney D Bonhomme, who landed in Arkansas in 1886 3

Bonhomme migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Charles-Ignace Bonhomme, son of Ignace and Agnès, who married Thérèse Goulet, daughter of René and Catherine, in Montreal, Quebec on 9th November 1705 4
Charles Bonhomme, son of Noel and Félicité, who married Marie-Charlotte Groinier, daughter of Joseph and Marguerite, in Lorette, Quebec on 3rd August 1753 4
Claude Bonhomme, son of Noel and Félicité, who married Marie-Geneviève Martin, daughter of Pierre and Françoise, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec on 25th August 1749 4
François-Régis Bonhomme, son of Noel and Félicité, who married Louise-Agathe Alain, daughter of Pierre and Anne, in L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec on 21st February 1746 4
François Bonhomme, son of Guillaume and Françoise, who married Marie-Françoise De Larue, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Anne, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 16th February 1722 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bonhomme (post 1700) +

Mandy Bonhomme, stage name of Amanda Goodman, an American voice actress from New York City
Ariane Bonhomme (b. 1995), Canadian two-time gold and bronze medalist track cyclist
Andrée Marie Clémence Bonhomme (1905-1982), Dutch composer
Paul Bonhomme (b. 1964), British aerobatics and commercial airliner pilot, owner/race pilot of Team Bonhomme, the World Champions of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship
Tessa Bonhomme (b. 1985), Canadian Olympic gold medalist and six-time gold medalist hockey player and television sports reporter

Citations +

Oliver, George, Collections Illustrating the History of the Catholic Religion in the Counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, and Gloucester London: Charles Dolman, 61, New Bond Street, 1857. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.