Show ContentsBönin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Bönin was created from the personal name Bona, which is derived from the Latin name Bonus, which means "good." The popularity of the personal name Bonus, was in part due to the name being borne by a 3rd-century Christian saint, martyred at Rome.

Early Origins of the Bönin family

The surname Bönin was first found in the city of Milan, where earliest records are of the Bonacina family in 1220.

Early History of the Bönin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bönin research. The years 1350, 1463, 1495, 1512, 1529, 1565, 1654, 1669, 1688, 1698, 1710, 1736, 1738, 1739, 1762, 1766, 1774, 1781, 1788 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Bönin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bönin Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Bönin include Boni, Bono, Bona, Bon, Buono, De Boni, De Bonis, De Bono, De Buono, Del Bono, Della Bona, Del Buono, Di Bono, Lo Bono, Lobono, Lo Buono, Bonelli, Bonello, Boniello, Bonetti, Bonetto, Bonet, Bonini, Bonino, Bonin, Bonucci, Bonuccelli, Bonioli, Boniolo, Bonotti, Boniotti, Boniotto, Bononi, Bonon, Bonacci, Bonaccio, Bonaccini, Bonazzi, Bonazza, Bonassi, Bonassini, Bonassin, Bonassili, Bonaca, Bonaga, Bonaghi, Bonaldi, Bonaldo, Bonaudo, Bonani, Bonandi, Bonardi, Bonati, Bonato, Bonatti, Boneri, Boneschi, Bonacina, Bonico, Bonici, Bonichi, Bonicelli, Bonicco, Bonito, Bonutti and many more.

Early Notables of the Bönin family

Prominent among bearers of this family in early times was Bartolomeo Bono (c.1463-1529), a Lombard architect who worked in Venice and designed parts of the Piazza di San Marco; Giacomo Boni (1688-1766), Italian painter of the late-Baroque period, who worked mostly in Genoa. Egidio Boni, born in Cortona in 1350, dedicated his life to the church and eventually became the Bishop of Vicenza; the Boni family of Florence produced 12 priests; Bartolomeo Bonino was Bishop of Sebenco from 1495 to 1512; members of the Bon family in Venice were castle owners during the 15th and 16th centuries; Giovanni Boni...
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bönin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bönin World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bönin is the 7,108th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Bönin is ranked the 592nd most popular surname. 2 And in France, the name Bönin is the 741st popular surname with an estimated 6,623 people with that name. 3


United States Bönin migration to the United States +

Early records show that people bearing the name Bönin arrived in North America quite early:

Bönin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jon Bonin, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 4
Bönin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Antoine Bonin, who arrived in Louisiana in 1805 4
  • Philip Bonin, aged 36, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1855 4

Canada Bönin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

  • André Bonin, son of Pierre and Françoise, who married Marie Loubier, daughter of Jean and Louise, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on 10th November 1688 5
  • Antoine Bonin, son of Nicolas and Marthe, who married Françoise-Catherine Volant, daughter of Jean-François and Marguerite, in Contrecoeur, Quebec on 9th April 1731 5
  • Ignace Bonin, son of Nicolas and Catherine, who married Marie-Louise Casaubon, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Anne, in Berthier, Quebec on 4th April 1758 5
  • Jean Bonin, son of Guillaume and Marie, who married Marie Campagna, daughter of Pierre and Françoise-Anne, in Montreal, Quebec on 4th July 1729 5
  • Jean-Baptiste Bonin, son of Nicolas and Catherine, who married Antoine Houde, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Catherine, in Lanoraie, Quebec on 25th November 1744 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bönin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Marie Bonin married in Badeau, Quebec in 1657
  • Mr. Jacques Bonin, French settler travelling to Canada to work for Jeanne Mance and Sister Judith Moreau arriving on 21st June 1659 6
  • Nicole Bonin married in Batiscan, Quebec in 1671
  • Marie Bonin married in Quebec in 1677
  • Nicolas Bonin married in Contrecoeur, Quebec in 1685
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bönin (post 1700) +

  • Ted Bonin (1957-2023), American art gallerist, co-founder of the the Alexander Bonin gallery in 1995
  • Gregory Louis Bonin (1955-1984), American former professional baseball umpire in the National League from 1984 to 1999
  • Edward John Bonin (1904-1990), American politician, Mayor of Hazleton, Pa. and U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
  • Garland Bonin (b. 1912), American State government official of Louisiana
  • Joseph Maurice Bonin (b. 1930), American professor of economics from Louisiana
  • Raymond Bonin (b. 1942), Canadian politician, member of the House of Commons
  • Marcel Bonin (b. 1931), Canadian professional (NHL) hockey player


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. 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)
  5. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  6. Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/


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