Buss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Buss is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a cooper, someone who made barrels or casks. The surname Buss was originally derived from the Old French word busse, which means cask. 1 Bus is a place name in northern France. 2 From this, some sources extend the meaning to be "dweller at a wood or thicket." 3 4
Another source claims the name means "a stount man," and notes " Sivard Buss occurs in Domesday Book and there were Norsemen and Norsewomen called respectively Buss and Bussa. Hence would come the Old Norse bustinn, burly-our name Bustin." 5
Early Origins of the Buss family
The surname Buss was first found in Norfolk, where Walter Buse was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. A few years later in 1220, the Curia Regis Rolls for Berkshire recorded Richard Busse. 1
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included entries for Matilda Bus, Oxfordshire; and Robertus Busse, Devon. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Adam Busse; and Willelmus de Busse. 4
Early History of the Buss family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buss research. Another 240 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1195, 1220, 1273, 1379, 1500, 1771, 1804, 1826, 1834, 1845, 1859 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Buss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Buss Spelling Variations
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Buss include Buss, Busse, Bus, Buse and others.
Early Notables of the Buss family
Notables of this surname at this time include:
- Robert William Buss (1804-1875), a prominent subject painter. He was born in London on 4 Aug. 1804. He served an apprenticeship with his father, who was an engraver and enameller, and then studied pai...
Buss Ranking
In the United States, the name Buss is the 4,032nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6
Buss migration to the United States +
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Buss were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Buss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- William Buss, who arrived in New England in 1640 7
- John Buss, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1678 7
Buss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Jacob Buss, who arrived in New York in 1709 7
- Janis Buss, aged 7, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 7
- Loduick Buss, aged 11, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 7
- Mickel Buss, aged 36, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 7
- Ludwig Buss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Buss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Jesse Buss, who landed in New York, NY in 1828 7
- Adam Buss, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 7
- Elisabeth Buss, age 35, who settled in New York in 1847
- Gerh Heinr Buss, who arrived in America in 1847 7
- C J G Buss, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Buss Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Wilhelmina Buss, aged 19, who arrived in America in 1901 7
Buss migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Buss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. George Buss, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1850 8
Contemporary Notables of the name Buss (post 1700) +
- Walter Richard Buss, American geology educator in Utah
- Jerry Hatten Buss, American real estate executive in California, majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame
- Daniel Frank Buss, American environmental scientist in Illinois
- Claude Buss, American history educator in California
- Claude A Buss, American diplomat, U.S. Vice Consul in Nanking (1932)
- David Buss (b. 1953), American professor of Psychology at University of Texas, Austin
- Marie Buss, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Iowa State House of Representatives from Bremer County, 1950; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1952 9
- Jesse W. Buss, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Concord 6th Ward, 1938 9
- Claude A. Buss, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Nanking, 1932 9
- Robert William Buss (1804-1875), Victorian artist, etcher and illustrator from London, best known for his painting Dickens' Dream 10
- ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Buss family +
- Miss Kate Buss, aged 36, English Second Class passenger from Sittingbourne, Kent who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 9 11
Suggested Readings for the name Buss +
- Genealogy of the Buss Family and Their Descendants by Daniel Buss.
Citations +
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
- Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html