BUCKLAND
Buckland is a surname of English origin, traditionally associated with the British Isles and specifically England. The name is derived from Old English, with its earliest reference appearing in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was recorded as Bocland and Bocheland. In Old English, the term boc means a book and combined with land refers to land that was held by right of a written charter. This distinguished it from folcland, land held by custom and subject to the king’s food‑rents and customary services. Thus the original sense of the name is connected with land ownership or possession under a written charter.
As a locational surname, Buckland originates from a number of villages bearing the same name across England. There are nine places called Buckland in Devonshire, four in Somerset, two in Kent and Dorset, and one each in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire and Surrey. An additional Buckland exists in Lincolnshire, which is an exception to the typical locational pattern. These place names are believed to have been derived from the same Old English terms, indicating that the surname was often given to individuals who hailed from or owned land in any of these settlements.
The earliest recorded use of the family name is that of Aelfgyth of Boclande, dated to around the year 970. This appears in the Anglo‑Saxon Chronicles of Devonshire, during the reign of King Edgar the Saxon (959‑975). The surname continued to be recorded in the 16th and 17th centuries, for example William Buckland, who married Elizabeth More on 17 September 1564 in Feniton, Devonshire, and Christopher Buckland, aged 20, who emigrated to the New World in 1635 and settled in Barbados.
In summary, the Buckland surname reflects both a specific legal concept in early England, namely land held by written charter, and a geographical link to numerous localities throughout southern England. Its continued appearance in historical records demonstrates its lasting presence in English heritage.
Typical given names associated with the Buckland surname
Male
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Jane
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Buckland in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Buckland are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Digestive.
There are approximately 5,966 people named Buckland in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,587th most common surname in Britain. Around 92 in a million people in Britain are named Buckland.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Buckland
- Jonny Buckland - Guitarist, musician
- Raymond Buckland - American author and Wiccan (1934 to 2017)
- Robert Buckland - Politician
- William Buckland - Clergyman, geologist and palaeontologist (1784 to 1856)
- Nicholas Buckland - Ice dancer
- Stephen Buckland - Researcher
- Francis Trevelyan Buckland - Naturalist (1826 to 1880)
- Joseph Buckland - Ice dancer
- Mark Buckland - Football player
- Gary Buckland - Boxer
- George Buckland - Lacrosse player (1883 to 1937)
- Francis Buckland - Cricketer (1854 to 1913)
- Yve Buckland -
- Tom Buckland - Cricketer (1860 to 1915)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.