Boulbay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Boulbay

What does the name Boulbay mean?

Boulbay is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Boltby near Whitby, in the county of Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Boulbay family

The surname Boulbay was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire, at Boltby, a chapelry, in the parish of Felix-Kirk, union of Thirsk, wapentake of Birdforth. 1

Boltby dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Boltebi 2 and literally meant "farmstead or village of a man called Boltr or Bolti" from the Viking personal name + "by." 3

"It appears more natural to assume that Boulby and Bowlby are modifications, but my last entry from the Hundredorum Rolls suggests a separate and independent origin. " 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Adam de Bolteby, Yorkshire; Hugh de Bolteby, Yorkshire; Adam de Boltby, Northumberland; and William de Boleby, Buckinghamshire. 4

Yorkshire is very close to the Scottish border, so it is not surprising to find early records there too.

"William de Bolteby witnessed a confirmation charter by Patrick earl of Dunbar of a grant to the Abbey of Melrose c. 1230-31, and as de Boltevy witnessed a charter of lands to the Priory of Coldstream c. 1232. His name probably comes from Boltby in Yorkshire, in DB. Boltebi and Bolteby." 5

Early History of the Boulbay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boulbay research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boulbay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boulbay Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Boulbay family name include Boultby, Boultbee, Boultbie, Boltby, Bowlby and many more.

Early Notables of the Boulbay family

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

Migration of the Boulbay family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Boulbay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Boultby settled in Fort Cumberland Nova Scotia in 1774; Edward Bowlby settled in Philadelphia in 1808.

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)