Show ContentsBottin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Bottin

What does the name Bottin mean?

The place name, from which the Bottin family take their surname arrived in Scotland with the Viking settlers. The first to use Bottin as a name no doubt lived on the lands of Bowden, in Roxburghshire where the family held lands since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Bottin family

The surname Bottin was first found in Bowden, in Roxburghshire."For a period of about two hundred years various persons of the same surname are witnesses to a number of charters These are not mentioned as holding lands in the parish, but would appear to have been kindly tenants of the monastery who took their name from the barony. The monks of different periods were in the practice of sub-letting the lands of the barony, and some of the lands, on whatever condition originally let, came at length to be held by the parties in hereditary right". Between c, 1200 and c. 1240 one or more individuals named Richard de Boulden witnessed charters by Cecilia de Molle, Symon Maulverer, etc. Master Richard de Bouldone, parson of the parish of Edilstone, rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. William de Bolden was Abbot of Kelso in 1370, and in 1399 we have mention of the tenement of John de Bolden in Westerkelsow.' 1

Gilbert Boddane who witnessed an instrument of sasine at Bordland of Laik, Kirkcudbrightshire in 1552. Later, John Bodane in Meiklehalf, 1686 (Kirkcudbright), and John Boddane and Williame Boddane were recorded as masters of families in the parish of Buittle, 1684. 1

Early History of the Bottin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bottin research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1296, 1450 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bottin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bottin Spelling Variations

Few standards of spelling and translation existed in the Middle Ages. spelling variations, are thus, an extremely common occurrence in records of ancient Scottish names. Over the years, Bottin has been spelled Bowden, Bouden, Boulden, Bouldene, Bolden, Boldane, Boldan, Boden, Bodden and many more.

Early Notables of the Bottin family

More information is included under the topic Early Bottin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bottin Ranking

In France, the name Bottin is the 6,789th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Bottin family to Ireland

Some of the Bottin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Bottin 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:

Bottin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Bottin, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
  • Emma Bottin, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
  • Peter Bottin, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Bottin (post 1700) +

  • Robin R. Bottin (b. 1959), American special make-up effects creator
  • Sébastien Bottin (1764-1853), French statistician and politician
  • Lucien Bottin (1881-1961), Belgian wrestler, he competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics
  • Guglielmo Bottin (b. 1977), known as Bottin, Italian composer, producer, DJ and music scholar
  • Pina Bottin (1930-2024), Italian actress


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/


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