Show ContentsBover History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bover is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a herder of oxen. The surname Bover is derived from the Old French words bovier, bover, and buvier, which all mean ox-herd.

Early Origins of the Bover family

The surname Bover was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat with estates in that shire. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was represented by Daniel le Buuier in 1191, and again in 1197.

Early History of the Bover family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bover research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1455, 1487, 1800 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Bover History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bover Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Bover include Bover, Bovier, Bouver and others.

Early Notables of the Bover family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Bovers of Cheshire, and Edward Bouverie Pusey (1800-1882), an English Anglican theologian of Oxford movement

Migration of the Bover family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Bover were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: William Boves, who settled in Virginia in 1653; and Peter Bovier, who was naturalized in Ohio in 1831.


Contemporary Notables of the name Bover (post 1700) +

  • Miguel Bover Sons (1928-1966), Spanish professional road bicycle racer
  • Joaquín María Bover de Roselló (1810-1865), Spanish writer
  • Captain Peter Turner Bover (1772-1802), officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars
  • Olympia Bover, economist at the Research Division of the Banco de España (1991-)


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