Bollte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

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 Bollte. 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 Bollte family.

Early Origins of the Bollte family

The surname Bollte 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 Bollte family

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

Bollte 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 Bollte include Bolte, Boltt, Boltte, Boldt, Boldte, Bollte, Bolt and many more.

Early Notables of the Bollte family

Notable figures of the time with the name Bollte 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 Bollte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bollte family

Prussia played an extremely influential role in shaping modern German history. It remained a part of Germany until after the Second World War. Prussia was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany. Many Prussians became residents of these new countries after the War, and many migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly to Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Bollte were Amias Bolte, age 23; who settled in Virginia in 1618; F.W. Bolte arrived in Texas in 1847; Henry Bolte settled in Philadelphia in 1871; as did Hermann Loeb Bolt in 1839.

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)