Bowdon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Bowdon surname is derived from one of several places names; such as Bowden in Derbyshire and Bowdon in Cheshire. The place names are thought to derive from the Old English words "boga," or "bow" and "dùn," or "hill;" thus, a curved hill.

However, two sources point to a Norman origin. The first states: "They have a tradition that they are of Norman descent, and that the name was originally Bodin" 1 and the second notes "Petrus Bodin occurs in Normandy, 12th century." 2

Early Origins of the Bowdon family

The surname Bowdon was first found in Cheshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 point to a scattered early reference of the family: Bodin de Langehull, Oxfordshire; Boyedinus de Gaunt, Lincolnshire; Bodyn de Kant (London citizen); and Walter Bodin, Oxfordshire. 3

"Bowden is frequent but often represents an older Bowdon. (i) John de Boghedon 1333. There are 17 places called Bowden in Devon and one Bowdin, all 'curved hill'; Bowden Edge (Derby) has the same origin; (ii) Thomas Bovedon in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279; OE bufan dune '(dweller) above the hill' " 4

Bowden or Bowdon, a parish in the union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of the county of Chester was once held by the Bowden family having been granted by Hamon de Massey. 5

"The Bowdens were of Bowdon Hall, co. Derby, in the XV. cent. Yet they have a tradition that they are of Norman descent, and that the name was originally Bodin." 1

Early History of the Bowdon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bowdon research. Another 189 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1279, 1296, 1333, 1504, 1568, 1583, 1694, 1733, 1735, 1750, 1761, 1778 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bowdon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bowdon Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bowden, Bouden, Boulden, Boden, Bodden, Bodin and others.

Early Notables of the Bowdon family

Distinguished members of the family include Samuel Bowden (fl. 1733-1761), a physician at Frome, Somersetshire, the author of two volumes of poems published 1733-1735. "Neither the date of his birth nor that of his death has been ascertained, though it appears from the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' to which he was an occasional contributor, that he was living in 1761, while a passing mention of him in 1778 is in the past tense. The writer adds...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bowdon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bowdon family to Ireland

Some of the Bowdon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bowdon migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bowdon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Bowdon, who settled in Maryland in 1731

Contemporary Notables of the name Bowdon (post 1700) +

Franklin Welsh Bowdon (1817-1857), American politician, Member of the Alabama Congress (1846 –1851), eponym of Bowdon, Georgia
Dorris Estelle Bowdon (1914-2005), American actress, best known for her role as Rosasharn in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
William George Bowdon Jr. (1921-2005), American politician, Mayor of Alexandria, Louisiana (1953–1969)
W. George Bowdon Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Member of Louisiana State House of Representatives, 1950; Mayor of Alexandria, Louisiana, 1954-55 6
Franklin Welsh Bowdon (1817-1857), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alabama State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Alabama 7th District, 1846-51 6

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html