Boldt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Etymology of Boldt

What does the name Boldt mean?

The German state of Prussia, which reached the zenith of its power in the late 19th century, is the glorious birthplace of the distinguished surname Boldt. In the medieval era, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the German lands were inhabited by a variety of Barbarian tribes. The borders of the Barbarian kingdoms changed frequently, but the region that became known as Prussia was roughly divided between the areas of Brandenburg-Prussia, West Prussia, and East Prussia. The colorful history of Brandenburg-Prussia provides a glimpse at the oldest origins of the Boldt family.

Early Origins of the Boldt family

The surname Boldt was first found in Mecklenburg. 1 As seen by the Coat of Arms, the name could have been an occupational name for someone who built bolts or darts.

Around the 1200-1400's some of the family moved from Friesland to Pomerania, where Bolte or Boldeke was a popular personal name. An early record was found in Stettin (Szczecin), West Pomerania in 1344. A few years later, Hans Bolting was listed in 1411 and later again, Joachim Bolte, Mayor of Wolgast, was knighted in 1675 as Bolte von Boltenstern. He was elected by the Swedish King Karl XI in 1675. 2

His son, Franz Michael von Boltenstern (1657-1716) was a German lawyer and director of the royal Swedish court in Greifswald. He and his wife had ten children including his son, Johann Franz von Boltenstern (1700-1763) who was judge at the court court and at the Wismar high tribunal.

Early History of the Boldt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boldt research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1700, 1716, 1763, 1786, 1796 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Boldt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boldt Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Boldt include Bolte, Boltt, Boltte, Boldt, Boldte, Bollte, Bolt and many more.

Early Notables of the Boldt family

Notable figures of the time with the name Boldt were Carl Gottfried von Bolte, who was a cavalry officer possessing estates in Pomerania.Johann Franz von Boltenstern (1700-1763) was a German lawyer and judge at the Court Court in Greifswald and at the Wismar Higher Tribunal. He was the son of...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boldt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boldt Ranking

In the United States, the name Boldt is the 8,220^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Boldt migration to the United States +

The state of Prussia was a great influence on the shape of modern Germany. After the Second World War, Prussia's land was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany and the state was abolished. Some Prussians remained in those countries after the war, while many others migrated to North America in search of a new start. Philadelphia was their primary point of entry to the United States, after which many of them moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. A large number of Prussians also migrated to Ontario and the prairie provinces as United Empire Loyalists. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Boldts to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Boldt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Friedrich Boldt, who arrived in America in 1846 4
Christian Boldt, who landed in Galveston, Tex in 1850 4
H H D Boldt, who landed in New York in 1850 4
Gottfried Boldt, who landed in Texas in 1855
Christian S Boldt, who arrived in Mississippi in 1891 4

Boldt migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Boldt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Frederick Boldt, aged 42, a labourer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
Sophia Boldt, aged 32, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
Johanna Boldt, aged 11, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
Sophia Boldt, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
Catherine Boldt, aged 1, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Boldt (post 1700) +

Laurence G. Boldt (b. 1954), American author of Zen and the Art of Making a Living
George Hugo Boldt (1903-1984), United States federal judge
George Charles Boldt (1851-1916), Prussian-born American hotelier
Joachim Boldt (b. 1954), German anesthesiologist, a leading researcher into colloids
Paul Boldt (1885-1921), one of the poets of German Expressionism
Harry Boldt (b. 1930), German equestrian and Olympic champion
Gerhardt Boldt (1918-1981), officer in the German Army
Marius Boldt (b. 1989), Norwegian football defender

Citations +

Rietstap, Johannes Baptista, Armorial Général. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
"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)