Show ContentsBunnay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bunnay Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Bunnay

What does the name Bunnay mean?

Soon after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the name Bunnay was recognized on the island as a name for a bunn, or literally from the Old French word bonne which means good. 1 Another source presumes the name could have been from place Bougnies, a Norman village in Belgium. 2

Early Origins of the Bunnay family

The surname Bunnay was first found in Nottinghamshire at Bunny, a parish, in the union of Basford, N. division of the wapentake of Rushcliffe. "Bunny Park, the seat of Lord Rancliffe, to the east of the village, is an ancient mansion of brick ornamented with stone, with a massive gateway entrance. The church is a spacious and well-built edifice, partly in the decorated and partly in the later English style, with a tower surmounted by a crocketed spire." 3

The Bunnys of Ibdrope were said to have held that Hampshire estate from temp. King John. 4

Further to the north in Scotland, William Buny, was a Scottish merchant who had safe conduct into England, 1412; Patrick Buny held land in Linlithow, 1461; and Henry Buny held a tenement there in 1472. 5

Early History of the Bunnay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bunnay research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1540, 1543, 1558, 1559, 1562, 1567, 1574, 1584, 1588, 1601, 1612, 1617 and 1619 are included under the topic Early Bunnay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bunnay Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Bunney, Bunny, Buny, Bunnie and others.

Early Notables of the Bunnay family

Edmund Bunny (1540-1619), a noted theological writer who acquired the estates of the Hartops of Dalby. He was born in 1540 at the Vache, the seat of Edward Restwold, his mother's father, near Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire. He was the eldest son of Richard Bunny (d. 1584) of Newton or Bunny Hall in Wakefield parish, who was treasurer of Berwick, and otherwise employed in public services in...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bunnay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bunnay family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Bunnay or a variant listed above: Richard Bunny who settled in Barbados in 1679 with his wife and daughter; William Bunney his brother settled in Barbados in the same year; Thomas Bunney settled in Charlestown Massachusetts in 1630.
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. 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)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  5. 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)

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