Bonner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Early Origins of the Bonner family

The surname Bonner was first found in Herefordshire where Bonner is an ancient name. "As Boner and Bonere, it occurred in Oxfordshire and Huntingdonshire in the reign of Edward I." 1

Early History of the Bonner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonner research. Another 231 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1281, 1451, 1500, 1548, 1569 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Bonner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonner Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Bonner has been recorded under many different variations, including Bonner, Boner, Bonners, Bonar, Bonnar, Bonare and many more.

Early Notables of the Bonner family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Edmund Bonner (c.1500-1569), Bishop of London, who became known as Bloody Bonner for his role in the persecution of heretics under the Catholic government of Mary I of England. He was later arrested u...
Richard Bonner (fl. 1548), was the author of a black-letter treatise on 'The Right Worshipping of Christ in the Sacrament of Bread and Wine,' published in 1548. 2

Bonner Ranking

In the United States, the name Bonner is the 855^th most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Bonner family to Ireland

Some of the Bonner family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonner migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Bonners were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Bonner Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Bonner, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Truelove" 4
Mr. Richard Bonner, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 aboard the ship "Friendship" 5
John Bonner, who landed in Virginia in 1638 4
Thomas Bonner, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 4
Rich Bonner, who landed in Virginia in 1643 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bonner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Chr Bonner, who landed in Virginia in 1702 4
Rudolph Bonner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 4
Jasper Bonner, aged 20, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1740 4
James Bonner, who settled in Philadelphia in 1742
Conrad[ Bonner, aged 25, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bonner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Bonner, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 4
James Bonner, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 4
Alexander Bonner, who arrived in New York in 1809 4
Jane Bonner, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 4
John Bonner, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bonner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bonner Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Eliz Bonner, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
John Bonner, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Martha Bonner, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Bonner migration to Australia +

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

Bonner Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Bonner, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mr. James Bonner, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Ralph Bonner, (b. 1827), aged 17, Irish weaver who was convicted in Donegal, Ireland for 14 years for theft, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
George Bonner, English Convict from Warwick, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. John Bonner, (Burnell), Welsh convict who was convicted in Cardiff, Wales for 7 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 10

Bonner 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:

Bonner Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Bonner, (b. 1845), aged 23, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 11
Mr. William Bonner, (b. 1853), aged 22, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 25th November 1875 12

Bonner 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. 13

Bonner Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Bonner, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Bonner (post 1700) +

Frank Bonner (1942-2021), born Frank Woodrow Boers Jr., an American actor and television director widely known for his role as sales manager Herb Tarlek on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
James Frederick Bonner (1910-1996), American biologist
Anthony Bonner (b. 1968), American former professional NBA basketball player
Robert R. Bonner Jr., American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
Charles George Bonner (1884-1951), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
Arthur Lancelot Bonner, English civil engineer involved in the design of the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Mr. Nicholas Bonner, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1542 to 1543, he was Mayor in 1559 and 1565
Mr. Humphrey Bonner, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1577 to 1578, he was Mayor in 1593, 1594, 1600, 1601, 1607 and 1608
Neville Thomas Bonner (1922-1999), Australian politician, the first Indigenous Australian to become a member of the Parliament of Australia
William Bonner McCarty Sr., American founder of the Jitney Jungle supermarkets in 1919

Historic Events for the Bonner family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Reginald Bonner (1906-1941), Australian Mechanician 1st Class from Belmore, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 15

HMS Hood

Mr. Colin A Bonner (b. 1900), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Cambridge, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 16

HMS Royal Oak

Walter Clive Bonner (1913-1939), British Band Corporal with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 17

Lady of the Lake

Mr. Michael Bonner (b. 1814), Irish labourer from Moville, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking

The Bonner 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: Semper fidelis
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Sources +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html