Contents [hide]

Bolt History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Bolt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Etymology of Bolt

What does the name Bolt mean?

The German state of Prussia, which reached the zenith of its power in the late 19th century, is the glorious birthplace of the distinguished surname Bolt. In the medieval era, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the German lands were inhabited by a variety of Barbarian tribes. The borders of the Barbarian kingdoms changed frequently, but the region that became known as Prussia was roughly divided between the areas of Brandenburg-Prussia, West Prussia, and East Prussia. The colorful history of Brandenburg-Prussia provides a glimpse at the oldest origins of the Bolt family.

Early Origins of the Bolt family

The surname Bolt was first found in Mecklenburg. 1 As seen by the Coat of Arms, the name could have been an occupational name for someone who built bolts or darts.

Around the 1200-1400's some of the family moved from Friesland to Pomerania, where Bolte or Boldeke was a popular personal name. An early record was found in Stettin (Szczecin), West Pomerania in 1344. A few years later, Hans Bolting was listed in 1411 and later again, Joachim Bolte, Mayor of Wolgast, was knighted in 1675 as Bolte von Boltenstern. He was elected by the Swedish King Karl XI in 1675. 2

His son, Franz Michael von Boltenstern (1657-1716) was a German lawyer and director of the royal Swedish court in Greifswald. He and his wife had ten children including his son, Johann Franz von Boltenstern (1700-1763) who was judge at the court court and at the Wismar high tribunal.

Early History of the Bolt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bolt research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1700, 1716, 1763, 1786, 1796 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Bolt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bolt Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Bolt include Bolte, Boltt, Boltte, Boldt, Boldte, Bollte, Bolt and many more.

Early Notables of the Bolt family

Notable figures of the time with the name Bolt were

Carl Gottfried von Bolte, who was a cavalry officer possessing estates in Pomerania
Johann Franz von Boltenstern (1700-1763) was a German lawyer and judge at the Court Court in Greifswald and at the Wismar Higher Tribunal. He was the son of Franz Michael von Boltenstern (d. 1716), di...
Ferdinand Wilhelm Franz Bolstern of Boltenstern (1786-1814), was a Prussian officer who died in the fighting around Cologne during the Wars of Liberation. He cam from came from the Pomeranian / Swedis...

Bolt Ranking

In the United States, the name Bolt is the 4,034^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3 However, in Netherlands, the name Bolt is ranked the 966^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,135 people with that name. 4

Bolt migration to the United States +

The state of Prussia was a great influence on the shape of modern Germany. After the Second World War, Prussia's land was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany and the state was abolished. Some Prussians remained in those countries after the war, while many others migrated to North America in search of a new start. Philadelphia was their primary point of entry to the United States, after which many of them moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. A large number of Prussians also migrated to Ontario and the prairie provinces as United Empire Loyalists. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Bolts to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Bolt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Bolt, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 5
Isaac Bolt, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1675 5

Bolt Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hendrick Bolt, who landed in New Jersey in 1730 5
Henrick Bolt, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 5
Robert Bolt, who settled in Virginia in 1737
Hans Hendrick Bolt, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
Hermanus Bolt, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bolt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Bolt, who arrived in Maryland in 1828 5
George Bolt, who arrived in America in 1834 5
Hermann Loeb Bolt, who landed in Philadelphia in 1839
B L Bolt, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1840 5
Wilh. Bolt, who arrived in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Karl Ferdinand" 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bolt migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bolt Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Dietrich Bolt, who landed in Manitoba in 1875

Bolt migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bolt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Bolt, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. William Bolt, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Samuel Bolt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "British Sovereign" in 1847 8
Christopher Bolt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Theresa" in 1847 9
Elizabeth Bolt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Theresa" in 1847 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bolt 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:

Bolt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Bolt, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
James Bolt, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1875
Jemima Bolt, aged 22, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1875
Edward Bolt, aged 5, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1875
Elizabeth Bolt, aged 2, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bolt 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

Bolt Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Gabriell Bolt, aged 29, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 aboard the ship "Falcon" 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Bolt (post 1700) +

Wayne Bolt, American football defensive coordinator for Troy University
John Franklin Bolt (1921-2004), United States Marine Corps flying ace who served during World War II and the Korean War
Tommy Bolt (b. 1918), American golfer, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002
Richard Henry Bolt (1911-2002), American (Chinese born) physics professor at MIT with an interest in acoustics
Joseph Wayne De Bolt (b. 1939), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 100th District, 1970 11
Usain Bolt (b. 1986), Jamaican Olympic six time gold medalist for running at the 2008 and 2012 games
Josh Bolt (b. 1994), English actor
Christopher Bolt CB, British economist and formerly non-executive chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation
Air Marshal Sir Richard Bruce Bolt KBE CB DFC AFC RNZAF (b. 1923), World War II bomber pilot, Chief of the Air Staff (1974 to 1976) and Chief of the New Zealand Defence Staff (1976 to 1980), son of George Bruce Bolt
Ranjit Bolt OBE (b. 1972), British playwright and translator
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bolt family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Arthur H Bolt, British Petty Officer Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 12

Citations +

Rietstap, Johannes Baptista, Armorial Général. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRITISH SOVEREIGN 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847BritishSovereign.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) THERESA 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Theresa.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html