Show ContentsBunty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Bunty

What does the name Bunty mean?

The are many presumed origins for the name Bunty. We will attempt to list a few of them here. The name may be "derived from a nickname, 'good little pet,' a term of endearment for a little child, afterwards applied more generally, a term of endearment" 1

"The name is curiously interesting as surviving in one of our favourite nursery rhymes, a strong proof of its antiquity: 'Baby, baby Bunting, Daddy's gone a hunting, Gone to get a rabbit skin To wrap his baby Bunting in.'" 2

Another source claims the name to be "Anglo-French-Latin, a corruption form of the French Bonnetin, Bonneton." 3 Another source claims the name was "a kind of bird." 4 Another claims the name to be "from the Flemish, Buntinx." 5

Early Origins of the Bunty family

The surname Bunty was first found in Peeblesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd nam Pùballan), former county in South-central Scotland.

The earliest record of the family in England was Wluric Buntin who was listed in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in 1188. Later William Buntin was listed in the Assize Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1260 and Henry Buntyng was listed in 1332. 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 elude to the widespread use with a wide variety of spellings: Alice Bunetun, Oxfordshire; Thomas Bunetun, Oxfordshire; Hugh Bonting, Lincolnshire; Henry Buntyng, Suffolk; and John Buntyng, Sussex. 2

"The name of Bunting, which now has its home in the Ashbourn district [of Derbyshire and] is also established in Norfolk and Essex. In the 13th century this name occurred, usually as Bunting or Buntyng but sometimes as Buntig or Buntyg, in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, and Sussex (H. R.). It still remains in Norfolk, and occurs also in Essex." 7

"Bunting or Buntyng was a common name among the Norfolk clergy in the 15th century; at that time, also, a family of the name lived at Framingham, near Norwich (Bl.). In the 13th century it was still represented in Norfolk. The Bantings, according to Kemble, were an Anglo-Saxon Clan. " 7

Later, Ireland became home to many of the family, but that migration is discussed in more detail later.

Early History of the Bunty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bunty research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1489, 1605, 1650, 1664, 1672, 1773, 1843 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bunty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bunty Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Bunty has been spelled Buntin, Bunten, Bunton, Bunting, Buntain, Buntaine, Buntine, Bontine, Buntyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Bunty family

More information is included under the topic Early Bunty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bunty family to Ireland

Some of the Bunty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 206 words (15 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Bunty migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Bunty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John H Bunty, who landed in Cincinnati, Oh in 1869-1870 8


  1. Halliwell, James Orchard. A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial WordsLondon: John Russel Smith, Old Compton Street, Soho, 1848, Digital, 2 Vols
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  5. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  8. 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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