Show ContentsBonde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Bonde

What does the name Bonde mean?

Bonde is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. It is a name for a husbandman, or a farmer. 1

The name stems from the Old English/Saxon roots bonda and bunda, which were used to indicate such a person. "There are several persons called Bonde in the Domesday [Book], one of whom is somewhat contradictorily called 'liber homo.' 2 3 Bonde, Bondi, Bunde, Bundi were all listed in the Domesday Book. 4

Early Origins of the Bonde family

The surname Bonde was first found in Norfolk where Albertus filius Bund, Bonde was listed in the Feet of Fines of 1199 and 1202. Norman le Bonde was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Warwickshire in 1180 and William Bonde was a Knights Templar in 1185. Later, Robert Bunde was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1198 and Henry le Bounde was found in Hertfordshire in 1297. 4

"Ralph de Bonde occurs in Palgrave's Rotuli Curiae Regis of 1199. Robert de Bundy founded Bradley Priory, Leicestershire, in the time of King John. There was a family of Bendys in Staffordshire. 'Shutt-End,' says Erdeswick, 'is an old house, formerly of the Bendys.' William Bendy of Holbeach left two daughters his co-heirs: and another William Bendy, of King's Swinford, was Clerk of the Peace for the county, and died in 1684. William Bondi, of Bedfordshire, and Thomas Bundi, of Shropshire, occur in the Rotuli Hundredorum, c. 1272. Richard Bundy, in 1313, appears in Palgrave's Parliamentary Writs as 'manucaptor of John Pistor. ' " 5

They "have their principal homes in the west of England in Devon and Somerset, and in the east of England in Norfolk and Suffolk; they are also established in Lancashire and Staffordshire. Six centuries ago the name was still to be found in numbers in Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as in the neighbouring counties of Lincoln, Hunts, and Cambridge, and also in Oxfordshire, in the forms of Bond and Bonde." 6

By the time of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the family were scattered throughout ancient Britain: Emma le Bonde in Huntingdonshire (1271); Robert le Bonde in Worcestershire; and Walter le Bond in Cambridgeshire. The same rolls also had an entry for the name as a forename in Norfolk: Bonde Brit. 7

Kirby's Quest of Somerset had two entries both "1 Edward III" (during the first year of King Edward III's reign): Robert le Bonde; and John le Bonnde. 8

Early History of the Bonde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonde research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1623, 1625, 1633, 1634, 1640, 1656, 1658, 1659, 1669, 1673, 1676, 1678, 1686, 1692, 1695, 1707, 1744, 1747, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bonde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonde Spelling Variations

Anglo-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 Bond, Bonde, Bunde, Bundy and others.

Early Notables of the Bonde family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Denis Bond (died 1658), English politician from Dorset who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1656, supporter of the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War and served as president of the Council of State during the Commonwealth;John Bond LL.D. (1612-1676), an English jurist, Puritan clergyman, member of the Westminster Assembly, and Master of Trinity Hall; Cambridge Nathaniel Bond, KS, (1634-1707), of Creech Grange in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, an English lawyer...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bonde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bonde family to Ireland

Some of the Bonde family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Bonde 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 Bonde or a variant listed above were:

Bonde Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Bonde, who arrived in America in 1654 9
  • Anders Bonde, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1693 9
  • Andrew Bonde, who landed in Delaware in 1693 9
  • Johan Bonde, who landed in Delaware in 1693 9
  • Liven Bonde, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1693 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bonde migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bonde Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Augustin Bonde, who arrived in Canada in 1800

Contemporary Notables of the name Bonde (post 1700) +

  • William Bonde (b. 1530), Bridgettine monk and author
  • Line Bonde (b. 1979), Danish fighter pilot, first female Danish fighter Pilot to fly an F-16
  • Wilfred "Bill" Bert Bonde (b. 1934), former Australian politician
  • Arne Andreas Bonde (1924-2003), Norwegian newspaper editor and radio executive
  • Alexander Bonde (b. 1975), German politician
  • Jens-Peter Rossen Bonde (1948-2021), Danish politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP)


The Bonde Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non Sufficit Orbis
Motto Translation: The world does not suffice.


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  8. 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.
  9. 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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