The story of the Bok family stretches back through time to the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The Bok name comes from a place named by these Vikings and was used by a family who lived in a place noted for the presence of a ridge that formed a boundary between two distinct areas. It comes from a variant of the word boak or balk, of the same meaning. While historians generally agree upon the aforementioned topographical derivation, most believe that this name actually came from the area called Boak in the parish of Kirkholm.
The surname Bok 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 held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bok research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1546, 1576, 1632, 1683 and are included under the topic Early Bok History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the Middle Ages, no real standards were established to judge the accuracy of spelling and translation. They were done mostly by ear and intuition, and enormous numbers of spelling variations were the unsurprising result. Bok has appeared as Boag, Boig, Book, Boack, Boge, Bogue, Boak, Bouk, Bouck, Bogues, Bogg, Boggs and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Bok Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Bok family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
North America was far from Britain's oppressive monarchy. There, the Scottish found land and freedom, and many even the opportunity to pay back England in the American War of Independence. This brave heritage survives today largely in Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Bok family in North America: