Bocholtz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Germany

Etymology of Bocholtz

Nestled between the Rhine and Wesser rivers is the ancient German region of Westphalia. Westphalia, the home of the name Bocholtz. In the German provinces, hereditary surnames were adopted after the 12th century, and names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local surnames originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. When coupled with the German preposition von, which means from or of, local names can indicate that the initial bearer of the name was an aristocrat. However, in modern times, the preposition is frequently dropped from surnames of this type. The Bocholtz family originally lived near a beech grove which is derived from the Old German word buchholz, which means beech grove, and is popular throughout Germany. The name Bocholtz is the name of numerous villages in the German states.

Early Origins of the Bocholtz family

Early History of the Bocholtz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bocholtz research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1803 is included under the topic Early Bocholtz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bocholtz Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Bocholtz include Bocholtz, Bockoltz, Bokoltz, Bokkoltz, Bocholtz, Bocholts, Bockolts, Bokkolts, Burkholtz, Burkoltz, Burckholtz, Burkoltz, Burgholtz, Burgholtz, Bocoltz, Burkolt, Burkoltz, Burkolts, Bocholz, Buchholtz, Bochholtz, Buchholtz, Bucholz, Bockholt, Bockhold, Bockholdz, Bocholte, Bokholdz, Bochheldt and many more.

Early Notables of the Bocholtz family

• Theodor Werner Freiherr von Bocholtz

Migration of the Bocholtz family

Many Germans emigrated across the Atlantic to seek better lives in North America. This great migration began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century. Resettlement was particularly attractive to those from Westphalia as a means of escape from poverty and religious persecution. For many Westphalian farmers, the chance to own one's own land was also a major incentive. The process of the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlements centered around Ontario and the Prairie provinces. Among them: John Burkolt who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803; Jan Bocholte who arrived in New Netherlands (New York) in 1662 with his wife and five children, Andrew Buchholz, his wife Anna and 4 children arrived in New York in 1889.