Show ContentsBunnett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Scotland, Bunnett was first used as a surname by the descendants of the Boernician tribe. It was a name for a person with brown or dark brown. Burnete was a high grade woolen cloth usually of dark-brown color.

Early Origins of the Bunnett family

The surname Bunnett was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity.

The family seat was at Faringdon, where they held a manor and estates. One of the earliest records found was of Robert Burnett in 1128 but this reference may also refer to a Roger de Burnard who witnessed a charter in the same year at Kelso. In fact, one reference claims that the spelling of Bernard was used until 1409 when Robert Burnett made the change.

Later, an Alexander Burnard or Burnett went north with King Robert I and acquired lands in the forest of Drum. He was also granted the barony of Tulliboyll in Kincardine. 1

The Clan were hereditary foresters to the King of Scotland. Roger Burnard, Alexander's successor, had four sons, Goufrid, Ralph, Walter, and Richard. The Burnetts of Barns who gave name to Burnetland in the parish of Broughton, claim descent from Robertus de Burneville, during the reign of David I.

Early History of the Bunnett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bunnett research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1128, 1208, 1296, 1323, 1596, 1615, 1635, 1643, 1656, 1663, 1664, 1669, 1674, 1679, 1684, 1688, 1714, 1715, 1720, 1728, 1729, 1890 and 1951 are included under the topic Early Bunnett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bunnett Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages, and simply spelled according to sound. The result is an enormous number of spelling variations among names that evolved in that era. Bunnett has been spelled Brunette, Burnnet, Burnette, Burnatt, Brunete, Bernett, Burnete, Burnet, Bunett, Bunnet, Bunnett, Bunet, Burnett and many more.

Early Notables of the Bunnett family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Alexander Burnet (1615-1684), a Scottish clergyman, Bishop of Aberdeen (1663-1664), Archbishop of Glasgow (1664-1669) and (1674-1679), Chancellor of the University of Glasgow (1664-1669), (1674-1679) and Chancellor of the University of St Andrews (1679-1684); Gilbert Burnet (1643-1715), a Scottish theologian and historian, fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and Bishop of...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bunnett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Bunnett family to Ireland

Some of the Bunnett family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bunnett migration to the United States +

Most of the Boernician-Scottish families who came to North America settled on the eastern seaboard of what would become the United States and Canada. Families who wanted a new order stayed south in the War of Independence, while those who were still loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, the ancestors of these families have gone on to rediscover their heritage through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bunnett or a variant listed above:

Bunnett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Bunnett, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1761 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Bunnett (post 1700) +

  • Jane Bunnett OC (b. 1956), Canadian Juno Award winning soprano saxophonist, flautist and bandleader


The Bunnett Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virescit vulnere virtus
Motto Translation: Courage grows stronger at the wound.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. 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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