Show ContentsBuds History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Wales
Buds Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Buds

What does the name Buds mean?

A product of the ancient Brythonic Celts of Wales, the name Buds, is from the Old English personal name Budda, which is derived from the Old English word budda, which means beetle. 1 The root meaning of budda is to swell, and the surname Buds may also be a nickname applied to a fat person, or perhaps ironically, to a thin one. Another source claims the name was an ancient Anglo-Saxon personal name meaning "messenger." 2

The name was "a strongly established surname as the Hundredorum Rolls prove, some of the fontal names attached suggesting a Flemish origin." 3

Early Origins of the Buds family

The surname Buds was first found in Cornwall, where the first entry for the family was in the Latin form, that of Brihtmerus Budde, who appeared as an Old English Byname c. 1025. A few years later, Leofwinus Budda was recorded at Oseney, Oxford in 1135 and later again, Ralph Budde was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Hampshire in 1170. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include entries for Juliana Budde, Oxfordshire; Iward Bude, Norfolk; William Budde, Oxfordshire; and Simon Bud, Huntingdonshire. 3 All held lands there at that time. In Somerset, we found John Budde, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 4

"The Budds were a well known Winchester family in the early part of the 17th century; they filled the office of mayor and made bequests for the poor. Winchester still has the name. In the forms of Bud, Budd, and Biidde, the name occurred in Oxfordshire and Somersetshire in the reign of Edward I." 5

Early History of the Buds family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buds research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1025, 1066, 1135, 1170, 1746, 1756, 1774, 1793, 1797, 1798, 1801, 1821 and 1853 are included under the topic Early Buds History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buds Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Buds have included Budd, Budde, Bud, Budds, Bude and others.

Early Notables of the Buds family

George Budd (fl. 1756), the English painter, is supposed to have been born in London, where for some time he kept a hosier's shop. Eventually he was led by his taste for drawing to abandon the business and devote himself wholly to art. He practised in portrait, landscape, and sometimes still life. 6 Richard Buud (1746-1821), was an English physician, born in 1746 at Newbury...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Buds Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Buds family

Many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in the 19th and 20th centuries, searching for land, work, and freedom. Like the many other immigrants from the British Isles, they made a significant contribution to the development of Canada and the United States. The Welsh and their descendents added a rich cultural tradition to the newly developed towns, cities, and villages. An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Buds: Giles Budd settled in Virginia in 1639; John Budd settled in New Jersey in 1678; John Budd settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1637; Thomas Budd settled in Nevis in 1722.
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. 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.
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print

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