Contents [hide]

Bush History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Australia New Zealand West Indies Canada United States

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Bush History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

Etymology of Bush

What does the name Bush mean?

The bountiful region surrounding the Rhine river is the birthplace of the name Bush. A single name was, at one time, all that people needed. However, increasing ease of travel and the burgeoning populations forced people to adopt a hereditary surname to set themselves apart from others. A common form of surname created in the Rhineland was the local name. Originally denoting the proprietorship of the village or estate, the German preposition von, which means from or of, was used with local names. The surname Bush was given to someone who lived near bushes or a thicket. The distinguished name Bush is derived from the Old German word busc, which means thicket or brush.

Early Origins of the Bush family

The surname Bush was first found in the Rhineland, where the family became noted for its many branches within the region, many houses acquiring a status and influence which rivaled that of the landed aristocracy. In their later history some branches were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they distinguished themselves through their contributions to the social, political, and economic developments of the nation. The earliest individual bearer of this name to be mentioned in ancient chronicles was Cuentzlin in Busch of Wuerttenberg (1381).

The Bussche variant claims descent from Lord Everhardus de Busche in 1255. The Lords von dem Bussche were originally from the County of Ravensberg on the border area of Ravensberg and the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück.

Early History of the Bush family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bush research. Another 241 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1234, 1387, 1475, 1534, 1623, 1704, 1729, 1793, 1832, 1840, 1842, 1908 and 1913 are included under the topic Early Bush History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bush Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Bush include Busch, Buesch, Buscher, Buescher (Westphalia), Bush, Buesh, Busher, Buesher, Busche, Bushe, Pusch, Bussche, Bussch and many more.

Early Notables of the Bush family

Isaac Posch (died 1623), who was an Austrian composer and organist. Clamor von dem Bussche, was a Lieutenant General in the Hanoverian army. He fought with distinction in the army of the Duke of York during the revolution, and died in battle in 1793. His son, Hans von dem Bussche, lost his right arm fighting at the Battle of Waterloo, and later became General of the...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bush Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bush World Ranking

the United Kingdom, the name Bush is the 718^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,335 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Bush is ranked the 692^nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,663 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Bush is the 732^nd popular surname with an estimated 983 people with that name. 3 The United States ranks Bush as 304^th with 89,532 people. 4

Bush migration to Australia +

Bush Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Bush, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Joseph Bush, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
William Bush, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Caroline Bush, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Mr. Jeremiah Bush, (b. 1796), aged 37, English farm labourer who was convicted in Norfolk, Norfolkshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1881 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bush migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bush Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

G F Bush, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1840
William Bush, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Bush, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tyne" in 1841
Jane Bush, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tyne" in 1841
George F. Bush, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bush 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. 10

Bush Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Bush, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 11
John Bush, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Bush migration to Canada +

Bush Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Bush, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Corporal Charles Bush U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 12
Sgt. Henricus Bush U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 12
Mr. Henry Bush U.E. who settled in Lincoln County, Niagara, Ontario c. 1783 12
Mr. Henry Bush U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bush Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Bush, aged 50, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
Isabella Bush, aged 50, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
Catherine Bush, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
Biddy Bush, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
Michael Bush, aged 16, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bush migration to the United States +

Bush Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Susan Bush, who arrived in Virginia in 1617 13
Jo Bush, aged 17, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" 13
John Bush, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 13
Tho Bush, who landed in Virginia in 1637 13
Thomas Bush, who landed in Virginia in 1638 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bush Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Win Bush, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 13
Wm, Bush Jr., who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 13
Wrn, Bush Jr., who landed in North Carolina in 1701 13
Sarah Bush, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 13
Elloner Bush, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bush Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Bush, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 13
David Bush, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 13
Leonard Bush, who landed in Maryland in 1826 13
George Martin Bush, who arrived in New York in 1831 13
Jean Michel Bush, who landed in New York in 1838 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bush Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Henry Bush, who landed in Arkansas in 1903 13
Robert Baxter Bush, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1904 13
James Denniston Bush, who arrived in Alabama in 1920 13
Charles Christopher Bush, who arrived in Alabama in 1924 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Bush (post 1700) +

President George Walker Bush (b. 1946), American politician, 43rd President of the United States, son of President George H. W. Bush
President George Herbert Walker Bush (1924-2018), American politician, 41st President of the United States (1989-1993)
Matthew Brian Bush (b. 1986), American professional baseball pitcher
Matt Bush (b. 1988), Welsh para taekwondo practitioner, gold medalist at the 2024 Paralympics
Cori Anika Bush (b. 1976), American politician, nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri (2021-2024)
John Barnard Bush CVO OBE CStJ (1937-2024), English farmer, landowner, and Justice of the Peace, High Sheriff of Wiltshire for 1997, a Deputy Lieutenant of Wiltshire from 1998, and from 2004 to 2012 was Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire
Peter George Bush CNZM QSM (1930-2023), New Zealand photographer and photojournalist, best known as the country's leading sports photographer
Paul Bush (1956-2023), British experimental film director and animator, born in London, son of classical composer Geoffrey Bush, known for Orgiastic Hyper-Plastic (2020), The Albatross (1998) and While Darwin Sleeps... (2005)
Jonathan James Bush (1931-2021), American banker from Greenwich, Connecticut
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bush family +

Centaur

George Francis Bush (1918-1943), Australian Private who died aboard the ship "Centaur" an Australian hospital ship when torpedoed on 14th May 1943
George Raymond Bush (1914-1943), Australian Lance Sergeant who died aboard the ship "Centaur" an Australian hospital ship when torpedoed on 14th May 1943
Mr. W. H. Bush, British Seaman aboard the SS Picton from who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14
Mr. Robert Archibald Bush, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 15
Mr. Arthur Hastings Bush (1892-1917), British Able Seaman from Middlesex, who was aboard the ship "HMS Vanguard" when she exploded in the Scapa Flow off the Orkney Islands, Scotland on 9th July 1917
... (Another 2 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
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)
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html