Bucke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Bucke comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person who shared a fanciful resemblance with a goat or a male deer. The name is derived from either the Old English word buc, meaning he goat, or male deer. This name would originally have been applied to someone one thought resembled a he-goat or male deer. 1

Interestingly, there may a Norman connection as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Radulphus de Bucca as living in Normandy in 1180. 2

Early Origins of the Bucke family

The surname Bucke was first found in Norfolk, where the name has been "represented in the county as far back as the 13th century. The name of Buck is now most numerous around Norwich." 3

However, by the late 13th century, the name was scattered throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Robert Bok, Huntingdonshire; Richard Boke, Oxfordshire; Robert de le Buk, Essex; and Thomas Buk, Cambridgeshire as all holding lands at that time. 4

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Robertus Buk, proving that the Latin version of naming was still in use at that time. 4

By the 15th century, some of the family were found further north in Scotland. There John Buc, was a charter witness in Glasgow, 1495. A few years later, Thomas Buk from Dunfermline had a remission in 1508. Alexander Buk was admitted Burgess of Aberdeen, 1506, and Duncan Buk held that position in 1560. 5

Early History of the Bucke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bucke research. Another 224 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1313, 1400, 1540, 1560, 1591, 1622, 1658, 1696, 1753 and 1779 are included under the topic Early Bucke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bucke Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Bucke has undergone many spelling variations, including Buck, Bucke, Buch, Buke and others.

Early Notables of the Bucke family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Buck, Sheriff of Lincolnshire. Sir George Buck (1560-1622), was an antiquarian who served as Master of the Revels to King James I of England. "He was descended from a good family which had formerly held large estates in Yorkshire and Suffolk. For taking the side of King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field his ancestors were deprived of most of...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bucke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bucke migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Bucke were among those contributors:

Bucke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rev. Richard Bucke, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610. 6
Benamy Bucke, who landed in Virginia in 1623 6
Gercyon Bucke, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1624 6
Mara Bucke, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 6
Peleg Bucke, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bucke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Philip Bucke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 6

Bucke Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Bucke, who landed in Texas in 1854 6
Fred Bucke, who landed in Mississippi in 1895 6

Bucke migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Bucke Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mrs. Bucke, (nee Langley), who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610, may have died in Bermuda 8
Miss Elizabeth Bucke, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610, may have died in Bermuda 8
Miss Bridget Bucke, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610, may have died in Bermuda 8

The Bucke Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fide et fortitudine
Motto Translation: By fidelity and fortitude.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm