| ![Show Contents]() Bunk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England Etymology of BunkWhat does the name Bunk mean? The history of the Bunk family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Suffolk at Bungay, a market town that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Bunghea, probably derived from the Old English personal name + inga + eg and meant "island of the family or followers of a man called Buna." 1 Another reference claims the placename was derived from the term "le-bon-eye," signifying "the good island," as it was nearly surrounded by the river Waveney, which was once a broad stream. Soon after the Norman Conquest, a castle was built, which, from its situation and the strength of its fortifications, was deemed impregnable by its possessor, Hugh Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, in the reign of Stephen; but that monarch, in the 6th of his reign, in the year 1140, came with his army and took it. Over the years Bungay Castle has fallen into ruins, but in 1934 the amateur archaeologist Leonard Cane convinced people that a restoration was needed. Today it is owned by the Bungay Castle Trust. Early Origins of the Bunk familyThe surname Bunk was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Bungay at the time of the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066 A.D. Conjecturally they are descended from William de Noyers who held the lands of Bungay from the King. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey in 1086 the holdings consisted of 4 Churches, 2.5 mills, 60 goats and 100 sheep. Bungay Castle was built by the Norman Earl Hugh Bigod in the 12th century. Reginal de Bungheye was Lord Mayor of London in 1240. Thomas Bungay (fl. 1290), was a learned Franciscan friar, born at Bungay, Suffolk, and educated at Paris and Oxford. He became the tenth reader in divinity at Oxford. He later moved to Cambridge, where he held a similar position. 2 Early History of the Bunk familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bunk research. Another 40 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1588 is included under the topic Early Bunk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bunk Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Bungey, Bungay, Bunker, Bunkar, Bunkey, Bunkay, Bungy and many more. Early Notables of the Bunk familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bunk Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Bunk migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Bunk or a variant listed above were:
Bunk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Robert Bunk, who landed in New York, NY in 1837 3
- Adam Bunk, who landed in New York, NY in 1876 3
- Constantin Bunk, aged 29, who landed in New York, NY in 1876 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bunk (post 1700) | + |
- Carsten Bunk (b. 1960), German gold medalist rower for East Germany in the 1980 Summer Olympics
- Tom Bunk (b. 1945), Croatian award-winning cartoonist
- Leo Bunk (b. 1962), German former footballer who played from 1981 to 1993
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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)
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