Show ContentsBounecomb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bounecomb is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the village of Butcombe in the county of Somerset.

Early Origins of the Bounecomb family

The surname Bounecomb was first found in Somerset, where "this surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Buncombe,' or 'Boncombe,' some spot in the West country." 1 Kirby's Quest notes that Richard de Bounecombe was listed there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 2

Early History of the Bounecomb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bounecomb research. Another 189 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1327 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Bounecomb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bounecomb 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 Bounecomb family name include Buncombe, Butcombe, Bounecombe, Bunecombe, Buncomb, Boncombe and many more.

Early Notables of the Bounecomb family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Richard de Bounecombe, a prominent 14th century landholder in Somerset

Migration of the Bounecomb family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, 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 Bounecomb surname or a spelling variation of the name include : William Bunchcombe who arrived in Virginia in 1663.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.


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