Show ContentsBucland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Bucland surname lived in one of the various places called Buckland in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Somerset and Surrey. 1 2 The place-name is derived from the word laund, which referred to a space in the open woods where the deer grazed.

Early Origins of the Bucland family

The surname Bucland was first found in Buckingham at a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district. This reference is by far the oldest but others include: Buckland, Kent a village near Dover; Buckland, Gloucestershire, a village and civil parish in the borough of Tewkesbury; Buckland, Hereford, a village and is part of Buckland and Chipping civil parish in East Hertfordshire; Buckland, Surrey a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district; and others.

One of the first records of the family was Hugh de Bocland or Hugh of Buckland (d. 1119?), Sheriff of Berkshire and several other counties, who "received his surname from the manor of Buckland, near Faringdon, of which he was tenant under the monastery of Abingdon. He was held in great esteem by Henry I, and that he was sheriff of eight counties. Six of these the evidence of charters enables us to identify, viz. Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Middlesex. " 3

Geoffrey de Bocland (fl. 1195-1224), was an English justice who was both a lawyer and a churchman. He was a justiciar in the years 1195-1197, 1201-1204, and in 1218. "As early as the beginning of [King] John's reign he was connected with the exchequer, and as late as 1220 he was a justice itinerant in the county of Hereford. " 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed the scattered entries and various early spellings: John de Bocklonde, Oxfordshire; Nicholas de Bocland, Kent; William de Boclond, Bedfordshire; and Phillip de Boclaund, Hertfordshire. 4 In Devon, John Bokeland was Warden of St Mary's College, Ottery St Mary in 1399.

Early History of the Bucland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bucland research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1564, 1611, 1648, 1695, 1710, 1747 and 1765 are included under the topic Early Bucland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bucland Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bucland are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bucland include: Buckland, Bucland, Bucklin and others.

Early Notables of the Bucland family

Distinguished members of the family include Ralph Buckland (1564-1611), an English Catholic divine, born in 1564, the son of Edmund Buckland, who was descended from an ancient family living at West Harptree, Somersetshire. 3Maurice Bocland or Bockland (1648-1710)...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bucland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bucland migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bucland or a variant listed above:

Bucland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. William Bucland, aged  19, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 5


  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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)


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