Show ContentsBoddean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Boddean surname is derived from one of several places names; such as Bowden in Derbyshire and Bowdon in Cheshire. The place names are thought to derive from the Old English words "boga," or "bow" and "dùn," or "hill;" thus, a curved hill.

However, two sources point to a Norman origin. The first states: "They have a tradition that they are of Norman descent, and that the name was originally Bodin" 1 and the second notes "Petrus Bodin occurs in Normandy, 12th century." 2

Early Origins of the Boddean family

The surname Boddean was first found in Cheshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 point to a scattered early reference of the family: Bodin de Langehull, Oxfordshire; Boyedinus de Gaunt, Lincolnshire; Bodyn de Kant (London citizen); and Walter Bodin, Oxfordshire. 3

"Bowden is frequent but often represents an older Bowdon. (i) John de Boghedon 1333. There are 17 places called Bowden in Devon and one Bowdin, all 'curved hill'; Bowden Edge (Derby) has the same origin; (ii) Thomas Bovedon in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279; OE bufan dune '(dweller) above the hill' " 4

Bowden or Bowdon, a parish in the union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow, N. division of the county of Chester was once held by the Bowden family having been granted by Hamon de Massey. 5

"The Bowdens were of Bowdon Hall, co. Derby, in the XV. cent. Yet they have a tradition that they are of Norman descent, and that the name was originally Bodin." 1

Early History of the Boddean family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boddean research. Another 189 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1279, 1296, 1333, 1504, 1568, 1583, 1694, 1733, 1735, 1750, 1761, 1778 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Boddean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boddean Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bowden, Bouden, Boulden, Boden, Bodden, Bodin and others.

Early Notables of the Boddean family

Distinguished members of the family include Samuel Bowden (fl. 1733-1761), a physician at Frome, Somersetshire, the author of two volumes of poems published 1733-1735. "Neither the date of his birth nor that of his death has been ascertained, though it appears from the 'Gentleman's Magazine,' to which he was an occasional contributor, that he was living in 1761, while a passing mention of him in 1778 is in the past tense. The writer adds...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boddean Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boddean family to Ireland

Some of the Boddean family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boddean family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Ambrose Bowden who settled in Maine in 1620; Jane Bowden settled in Virginia in 1653; John Bowden settled in Jamaica in 1661; Martha Bowden settled in Barbados in 1664.



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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