Bolden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Bolden family may have been Viking settlers. Their surname comes from a place name of Norse origins, from when they lived on the lands of Bowden, in Roxburghshire where the family held lands since the early Middle Ages. 

Early Origins of the Bolden family

The surname Bolden was first found in Bowden, in Roxburghshire.”For a period of about two hundred years various persons of the same surname are witnesses to a number of charters These are not mentioned as holding lands in the parish, but would appear to have been kindly tenants of the monastery who took their name from the barony. The monks of different periods were in the practice of sub-letting the lands of the barony, and some of the lands, on whatever condition originally let, came at length to be held by the parties in hereditary right”. Between c, 1200 and c. 1240 one or more individuals named Richard de Boulden witnessed charters by Cecilia de Molle, Symon Maulverer, etc. Master Richard de Bouldone, parson of the parish of Edilstone, rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. William de Bolden was Abbot of Kelso in 1370, and in 1399 we have mention of the tenement of John de Bolden in Westerkelsow.’ [1]

Gilbert Boddane who witnessed an instrument of sasine at Bordland of Laik, Kirkcudbrightshire in 1552. Later, John Bodane in Meiklehalf, 1686 (Kirkcudbright), and John Boddane and Williame Boddane were recorded as masters of families in the parish of Buittle, 1684. [1]

Early History of the Bolden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bolden research.

Bolden Spelling Variations

Standards against which to judge the accuracy of spellings and translations did not yet exist in the Middle Ages. Spelling variations in names dating from that era, are thus, an extremely common occurrence. Bolden has been recorded as Bowden, Bouden, Boulden, Bouldene, Bolden, Boldane, Boldan, Boden, Bodden and many more.

Bolden Ranking

In the United States, the name Bolden is the 1,133^rd most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. [2]

 Migration of the Bolden family to Ireland

Some of the Bolden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Bolden migration to the United States +

The New World was far from the oppressive regime of the old country. It was a place where there was more land than people and political and religious freedom were far easier to come by. Many Scots even got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. In recent years, interest in this heritage has been generated by Clan societies and regular highland games in North America. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Bolden name: 

Bolden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Francisco Domingo Bolden, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1847 [3]

 Bolden migration to Australia+

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

Bolden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. John Bolden, British convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the “Asia” on 19th November 1827, settling in New South Wales, Australia [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Bolden (post 1700) +

• Charles “Buddy” Bolden (1877-1931), American cornetist
• Ryan Christopher Bolden (1991-2014), American professional baseball player, shot and killed when children began arguing over candy
• Eugene Thomas Bolden (1899-1991), American Olympic freestyle swimmer
• Edgar Bolden (1926-2007), American fighter aircraft pilot
• Edward “Ed” Bolden (1881-1950), American baseball executive and owner
• Juran T. Bolden (b. 1974), American-born, Canadian football cornerback
• Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bolden (1890-2006), American supercentenarian woman
• Charles Frank “Charlie” Bolden Jr. (b. 1946), Administrator of NASA, a retired United States Marine Corps major general, and former NASA astronaut
• Staff Sergeant Paul Luther Bolden (1922-1979), American Army soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944