Show ContentsBony History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the name Bony was first found in Britina. It was a name for a handsome person, especially one who is large or well built. The name comes from the Norman word bonnie, a common nickname for an attractive person. This word possibly derives from the Old French bon, which means good or fine, although the movement is not clear. 1

Early Origins of the Bony family

The surname Bony was first found in Bedfordshire and Leicestershire, where they had been granted lands by King William. They were originally seated in St. Bonnet in Normandy in the arrondisement of Calvados.

"The knight of this name who accompanied Duke William from Normandy, received for his services the lordship of Penclawdd, in Gower. "Bonet or Benet, was one of such persons, as after the battle were advanced to Seigneuries in this land, Glamorgan." A descendant of the Norman, Bonet, Robert Benet, who, married Avis, daughter and heir of John Crompe, of Sanctuary, in Gower, and great grand-daughter, maternally, of Caradoc ap Ynir ap Ivor, Lord of Dyfed, is supposed to have been the "Robert Benote" whose name appears amongst the Lances attendant on the Duke of Gloucester at Azincourt. 2

Henry Bonet was Warden of St Mary's College, Ottery St Mary, Devon in 1349.

Early History of the Bony family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bony research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1688, 1702, 1718 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Bony History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bony Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bony are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bony include Bonnett, Bonney, Bonnet, Bonny, Bonnie and others.

Early Notables of the Bony family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Henry Bonney, Archdeacon of Bedford; and Stede Bonnet (c. 1688-1718), English pirate born in the Barbados, sometimes called "The Gentleman Pirate" who frequently pirated with the infamous Edward Teach, better known as "Blackbeard." According to Forbes, he is ranked as the fifteenth wealthiest pirate with...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bony Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bony Ranking

In France, the name Bony is the 2,253rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,848 people with that name. 3


Bony migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Bony, or a variant listed above:

Bony Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Bony, who arrived in Virginia in 1618 4
  • Thomas Bony, who landed in New England in 1634 4
  • Susanna Bony, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 4
  • Richard Bony, who landed in Maryland in 1678 4
Bony Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Andres Bony, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1729 4
Bony Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Cyrenus De Bony, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bony (post 1700) +

  • Wilfried Guemiand Bony (b. 1988), Ivorian professional footballer who plays for Manchester City and the Ivory Coast national team
  • Oscar Bony (1941-2002), Argentine avant-garde artist
  • Jean-Yves Bony (b. 1955), French farmer and politician
  • François Bony, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. 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)
  5. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) François Bony. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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