Bourdet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Bourdet is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bourdet family lived in Leicestershire. This surname, however, is a reference to the family's former district of residence, "Bordet," Normandy, where they held a family seat as Lords of Cuilly. Another source notes: "Hugh and Robert Burdet occur in Domesday, the family hail from some spot in Normandy, and 'came in with the Conqueror.' " 1

Later, William Burdett, held lands in Potton, Bedfordshire in 1214 and Nicolas Burdett held by service of half a knight's fee in 1284.

Early Origins of the Bourdet family

The surname Bourdet was first found in Leicestershire where the family can be traced to "Hugo de Burdet, who came into England with William I, and was lord of the manor of Loseby in 1066." 2

Arrow in Warwickshire was for a long time the family seat of the Burdetts but was passed to the Conways in the reign of Henry VI which resulted in many lawsuits which remained unsettled until the end of the reign of Henry VIII.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: William Burdet, Leicestershire; and Stephen Burdet, Lincolnshire while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Nicholaus Burdet, franktllyn; and Gilbertus Burdet, faber. 1

Early History of the Bourdet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bourdet research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1536, 1602, 1630, 1636, 1640, 1642, 1658, 1668, 1671, 1675, 1679, 1701, 1704, 1713, 1716, 1719, 1727, 1747, 1788, 1804 and 1967 are included under the topic Early Bourdet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bourdet Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bourdet are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bourdet include Burdett, Bordet, Bourdet, Burdet, Burdit, Burditt and many more.

Early Notables of the Bourdet family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Burdett (c. 1602-1671), English settler to America in 1636, the second colonial governor of the Upper Plantation of New Hampshire; Sir Francis Burdett, 2nd Baronet, from the Warwickshire branch of the family; his son Sir Robert Burdett, 3rd Baronet DL (1640-1716), a Tory politician; and Sir Robert Burdett, 3rd Baronet (1640-1716) from Warwickshire and Debyshire who...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bourdet Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bourdet Ranking

In France, the name Bourdet is the 2,387^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Bourdet family to Ireland

Some of the Bourdet family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bourdet migration to Canada +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Bourdet, or a variant listed above:

Bourdet Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Nicolas Bourdet, son of Alexandre and Madeleine, who married Marie-Anne-Michelle Jacoti, daughter of Jean and Marie, in Quebec on 17th April 1714 4
Nicolas Bourdet, son of Alexandre and Madeleine, who married Françoise Bon, daughter of Pierre and Michelle, in Montreal, Quebec on 7th August 1727 4
Mr. John Bourdet U.E. who settled in Township of Kingston, [Kingston], Ontario c. 1783 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Bourdet (post 1700) +

Claude Bourdet (1909-1996), French journalist
Édouard Bourdet (1887-1945), French playwright

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X