Bong History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestry of the name Bong dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived by an open manger or stall. It derived from the Old English name Binningas, which was a name for someone who lived near stables. Alternatively the name could have been derived from "byng" and meant "dweller by the hollow." 1

Another source has a different origin of the name: "from the occurrence of such compounds as Bingley, Bingham, Bingfield, in names of places, it is highly probable that Bing, or Byng, was an ancient personal name. " 2

And another believes the name was actually a Norman name "from Binge-Gerault, Normandy, [which is] mentioned in a charter of King John to Henry de Ferrers. In 1191 Robert de Binga witnessed a charter of Henry, Bishop of Bayeux, executed at Rouen. From this Norman family descended the Viscounts Torrington, and the celebrated Sir John Byng, General in the Peninsular War, and Earl of Strafford. " 3

Early Origins of the Bong family

The surname Bong was first found in Kent, where the family "held property in Wrotham in the time of Elizabeth, and one of this family was sheriff of Kent in the same reign. In the time of James I. the Bings also owned property in Tunbridge, where the name still remains; and in this reign George Bing was mayor of Dover, and also the representative of the city in Parliament. " 4

Apart from the aforementioned Norman entry, the first mention of the name in ancient England was in 1274 when the Hundredorum Rolls listed Robert Bing as holding lands in Devon at that time and Reginald Binge was holding lands in Oxfordshire. 5 John Byng was listed in the Assize Rolls of Kent in 1317. 1

Early History of the Bong family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bong research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1574, 1652, 1654, 1663, 1666, 1672, 1712, 1733, 1739 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Bong History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bong Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Bong have been found, including Bing, Binge, Binley, Binckes, Bink, Byng, Bincks and others.

Early Notables of the Bong family

Notables of the family at this time include Doctor Andrew Bing (1574-1652), English scholar, a fellow of Peterhouse, who was Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge, and was part of the "First Cambridge Company" charged by James I of England with translating parts of the Old Testament for the King James Version of the Bible. 6 George Byng Viscount Torrington (1663-1733), was a British admiral and the eldest son of John Byng, from a family who had settled for many centuries at Wrotham in Kent. "In 1666...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bong Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bong family to Ireland

Some of the Bong family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bong migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Bong, or a variant listed above:

Bong Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Bong, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754 7

Bong Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Bong, who landed in North America in 1832 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Bong (post 1700) +

Major Richard Ira Bong (1920-1945), United States' highest-scoring air ace, having shot down 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II and was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor 8
Richard I. Bong, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 40 aerial victories

The Bong 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: Tuebor
Motto Translation: I will defend.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Richard Bong. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Richard Bong. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bong