Bunie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Bunie

What does the name Bunie mean?

The ancient Normans that arrived in England following the Conquest of 1066 are the initial ancestors from which the many generations of the Bunie family have grown. The name Bunie was given to a member of the family who was a bunn, or literally from the Old French word bonne which means good. 1 Another source presumes the name could have been from place Bougnies, a Norman village in Belgium. 2

Early Origins of the Bunie family

The surname Bunie was first found in Nottinghamshire at Bunny, a parish, in the union of Basford, N. division of the wapentake of Rushcliffe. "Bunny Park, the seat of Lord Rancliffe, to the east of the village, is an ancient mansion of brick ornamented with stone, with a massive gateway entrance. The church is a spacious and well-built edifice, partly in the decorated and partly in the later English style, with a tower surmounted by a crocketed spire." 3

The Bunnys of Ibdrope were said to have held that Hampshire estate from temp. King John. 4

Further to the north in Scotland, William Buny, was a Scottish merchant who had safe conduct into England, 1412; Patrick Buny held land in Linlithow, 1461; and Henry Buny held a tenement there in 1472. 5

Early History of the Bunie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bunie research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1540, 1543, 1558, 1559, 1562, 1567, 1574, 1584, 1588, 1601, 1612, 1617 and 1619 are included under the topic Early Bunie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bunie 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. Bunie has been recorded under many different variations, including Bunney, Bunny, Buny, Bunnie and others.

Early Notables of the Bunie family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edmund Bunny (1540-1619), a noted theological writer who acquired the estates of the Hartops of Dalby. He was born in 1540 at the Vache, the seat of Edward Restwold, his mother's father, near Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire. He was the eldest son of Richard Bunny (d. 1584) of Newton or Bunny Hall in Wakefield parish, who was treasurer of...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bunie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bunie family

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. Bunies were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America: Richard Bunny who settled in Barbados in 1679 with his wife and daughter; William Bunney his brother settled in Barbados in the same year; Thomas Bunney settled in Charlestown Massachusetts in 1630.

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)