Show ContentsBuknill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Buknill name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Bucknall, a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire which had a population of 309 in 2001. The village claims that Lady Godiva was born here based on her brother Thorold, Sheriff of Lincolnshire, being known as "Thorold of Bucknall". Bucknall is also a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire and there is another Bucknal listed in Shropshire. Bucknell can be found in Shropshire, close to the borders with Wales and Herefordshire and also about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northwest of Bicester in Oxfordshire, England.

Early Origins of the Buknill family

The surname Buknill was first found in Lincolnshire where the place dates back to before the Domesday Book, when it was listed as Bokenhale in 806, derived from the Old English personal name "Bucca" + "halh", collectively meaning "nook of land of a man called Bucca, or where he-goats graze." By the time of the Domesday Book, the name was listed as Buchehale in Lincolnshire and in Staffordshire as Bucenhole. 1

Early History of the Buknill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buknill research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Buknill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buknill Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Buknill has undergone many spelling variations, including Bucknall, Bucknell, Bucknel, Bucknal, Bucknill and many more.

Early Notables of the Buknill family

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

Migration of the Buknill family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Buknill were among those contributors: Magdalen Bucknell who settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1731; James Bucknall settled in Philadelphia in 1813; James Bucknale settled in Philadelphia in 1813.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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