Boley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the Boley family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Lincolnshire and various other areas throughout Britain. The name of this family, however, does not refer to these areas, but to the French Channel port of "Boulogne."

Early Origins of the Boley family

The surname Boley was first found in various counties throughout Britain. The earliest listing of the name appears to be Gilebert de Bollon who was listed in Northumberland in 1168. ^[1]

Over one hundred years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Pharamund de Boloynne in Buckinghamshire; Richard de Boloyne in Somerset; John de Boloyne in Cambridge; and Thomas Boloyne in Essex. ^[2] Interestingly, the rolls also listed Simon, Count of 'Buloyne' as residing in Oxford. In the reference "History of Norfolk," Simon de Boleyn was listed about the same time. ^[3]

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-1536), Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King Henry VIII, claimed descendancy from Geoffrey Boleyn (d. 1440), a yeoman of Salle, Norfolk.

Early History of the Boley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boley research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1406, 1463, 1440, 1451, 1505, 1501, 1507, 1536, 1533, 1536, 1480, 1538, 1504, 1536, 1499, 1543, 1477, 1539, 1603, 1576, 1550, 1554, 1454 and 1539 are included under the topic Early Boley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boley Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Bullen, Bulen, Bullan, Bulloyne, Bouleyne, Bulleyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Boley family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Geoffrey Boleyn (1406-1463), Lord Mayor of London, son of Geoffrey Boleyn (d. 1440) yeoman of Salle, Norfolk; Sir William Boleyn (1451-1505), the son of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer and Lord Mayor of London; Admiral Sir Charles Bullen; Anne Boleyn (c.1501 or 1507-1536), Queen of England (1533-1536), 1st Marquess of Pembroke, second wife of King Henry VIII; Elizabeth Boleyn (1480-1538), Countess of Wiltshire, mother of Anne Boleyn; George Boleyn (1504-1536), Viscount Rochford, brother of Anne, executed with her for incest, adultery and treason; Mary Boleyn (c.1499-1543), Anne's sister and a long-term...
Another 156 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boley Ranking

In the United States, the name Boley is the 9,057^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. ^[4]

Migration of the Boley family to Ireland

Some of the Boley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boley migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Boley or a variant listed above:

Boley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Carl Boley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1764 ^[5]

Boley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Boley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Abraham Boley, (b. 1812), aged 20 who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) ^[6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Boley (post 1700) +

Michael Jerome Boley (b. 1982), former American NFL football linebacker for the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals from 2005 to 2013
John Peter "Joe" Boley (1896-1962), nicknamed "Silent Joe," an American Major League Baseball shortstop who played from 1927 to 1932
Donna Jean Boley (b. 1935), American politician, Member of the West Virginia Senate (1985-)
Bruno A. Boley (b. 1924), American academic, Dean of Engineering at Northwestern University
Prince Mark Boley (b. 1989), Liberian footballer
George Eutychianus Saigbe Boley (b. 1949), Liberian politician and former rebel leader

The Boley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: E Rege et victoria
Motto Translation: The King and victory.

Citations +

^ Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
^ Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
^ Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
^ https://namecensus.com/most_common_surnames.htm
^ 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 of Australia (Retrieved 8th February 2021, retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian)