Bourne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Etymology of Bourne

What does the name Bourne mean?

The origins of the Bourne name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived at or near a local stream or a spring. Bourn is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire. The population of the parish was 1,764 people at the time of the 2001 census.

Bourn Castle was located there and originally consisted of wooden buildings on an earthwork enclosure which was erected during the reign of William the Conqueror. This was burnt down during the reign of Henry III. In the early 16th century Bourn Hall was built on part of the site.

Early Origins of the Bourne family

The surname Bourne was first found in Lincolnshire at Bourne, a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district which dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Brune. The place name was derived from the Old English word burna or perhaps the Old Scandinavian word brunnr.

The aforementioned Bourn in South Cambridgeshire also dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed at that time as Brune. It has a similar origin. 1

Bourne Abbey is in Bourne, Lincolnshire dates back to before Domesday Book in 1086. At that time, it was listed as "half a church" and had a priest. In other words, it was a small church but standards of those days. Bourne Abbey and the surrounding area was held by Ogier the Breton and was a major fishery holding at the time 2,500 eels. 2

Early History of the Bourne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bourne research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1531, 1560, 1569, 1583, 1590, 1611, 1648, 1679, 1689, 1690, 1696, 1714, 1719, 1733, 1754 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Bourne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bourne Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Bourne were recorded, including Bourne, Borne, Bourn and others.

Early Notables of the Bourne family

Notables of the family at this time include

William Bourne or Bourn; (d. 1583), English mathematician, son of William Bourne of Gravesend, who died 1560; Immanuel Bourne (1590-1679), English divine from East Haddon, Northamptonshire; and Nehemi...
Gilbert Bourne (d. 1569), was Bishop of Bath and Wells, the son of Philip Bourne of Worcestershire, entered the university of Oxford in 1524, and was a fellow of All Souls' College in 1531. Henry Bour...

Bourne World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bourne is the 3,132^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Bourne is ranked the 6,762^nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Bourne is the 900^th popular surname with an estimated 4,365 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Bourne as 668^th with 9,869 people. 6

Migration of the Bourne family to Ireland

Some of the Bourne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bourne migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Bourne family emigrate to North America:

Bourne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Bourné, who settled in Boston in 1620
Garret Bourne, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
Nehemiah Bourne, who settled in Charleston Massachusetts in 1630
Garrett Bourne, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 7
Thomas Bourne, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1636 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bourne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ellis Bourne, who landed in Virginia in 1706 7
lames Bourne, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 7
Jesse Bourne, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1742-1743 7
Peter Bourne, who landed in Virginia in 1769-1770 7

Bourne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Bourne, who landed in New York in 1835 7
Elisha Bourne, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1849 7
H Bourne, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
E Bourne, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
E A Bourne, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bourne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bourne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Samuel Bourne, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Bourne migration to Australia +

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

Bourne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ellen Bourne, (b. 1805), aged 21, Irish house maid who was convicted in Fermanagh, Ireland for 7 years for house robbery, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1877 8
Miss Honora Bourne, (b. 1801), aged 27, Irish convict who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "City of Edinburgh II" on 23rd June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. James Bourne, British convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. John Bourne, (Charles) who was convicted in (Parts of Lindsey), Lincolnshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. Henry Bourne, (b. 1812), aged 21, English coach painter who was convicted in Sussex, England for 14 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bourne 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:

Bourne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Harriett Bourne, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1870 13
Mrs. Fanny Bourne, (b. 1846), aged 24, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 14
Mr. John Bourne, (b. 1848), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 14
Miss Edith Bourne, (b. 1866), aged 4, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 14
George Bourne, aged 41, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Strathnaver" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bourne (post 1700) +

Thomas I. Bourne, American politician, Delegate to Indiana State Constitutional Convention, 1850-51 15
Shearjashub Bourne (1746-1806), American politician, Member of Massachusetts State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, 1791-95 15
R. Earl Bourne, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Cortland County, 1915 15
Pat Bourne, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 2004 15
Jonathan Bourne Jr. (1855-1940), American politician, Member of Republican National Committee from Oregon, 1888-92; U.S. Senator from Oregon, 1907-13; Defeated, 1912 15
Jonathan Bourne, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1860, 1888 15
John Edgar Bourne Jr., American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate 15th District, 1967-68 15
John C. Bourne (d. 1967), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State House of Representatives 52nd District, 1966-67 15
John Bourne, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 2000, 2004 15
John Bourne, American politician, U.S. Collector of Customs, 1909 15
... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bourne family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Clarence John Bourne (1919-1942), English Able Bodied Seaman from Taunton, Somerset, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse and survived the sinking, also sailed aboard the HMS Giang Bee and was lost in 1942 16

The Bourne 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: Haec omnia transeunt
Motto Translation: All these things pass away.

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 10th February 2021 https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/city-of-edinburgh
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html