BUMPUS
The surname Bumpus is of English origin. It is believed to have arisen as a nickname derived from the Old English word bump or bumpa, meaning a large, rounded object or a hump. The name would have been attributed to an individual with a prominent physical bump or hump, and over time the nickname became hereditary, passing from one generation to the next.
Recorded spellings of the name are numerous, reflecting the linguistic fluidity of medieval England. Variants include Bompas, Bumpas, Bumpast, and Bumpus. The earliest surviving reference is in the 1175 pipe rolls of the county of Gloucester, where a person named William Bonpas is listed during the reign of King Henry XI (1154‑1189). Another early record appears in the 13th‑century Assize Rolls of Cheshire, where a Roger Bumpace is mentioned in 1287.
By the sixteenth century the surname was well established in England. Contemporary entries include the marriage of Jane Bumpasse to Francis Marlyn at St Giles Cripplegate in 1611, the licence of John Lloyd and Anne Bompasse in London in 1616, and the christening of James Bumpas at St James Church, Clerkenwell, in 1670. These records illustrate the diversity of spelling used by parish clerks and scribes, which was often influenced by regional dialects and the phonetic interpretation of names.
Some sources suggest a possible French connection, proposing that the name could derive from the phrase bon pas, literally “fast pace”, and that it may have been applied to a quick runner or messenger. While this hypothesis is not universally accepted, it provides an alternative explanation for the surname’s descriptive nature.
From a geographical perspective, the surname is associated mainly with the West Country of England, especially Devon and Cornwall, where the nickname was used for a plump or stout person, possibly derived from the Old English word bun meaning “belly”.
In modern times the surname is uncommon in England. Its greatest concentration is now in the United States, with the most frequent occurrence in the state of Massachusetts, followed by Pennsylvania. Smaller pockets of families are found in Canada and Australia. The distribution reflects patterns of emigration from Britain to the British North America and Australasia during the early modern period.
It is also noteworthy that the surname has acquired a variety of forms in the United States, including Bumphus, Bumpass, and Bumpouse. These variations arise from the phonetic spelling practices of early American clerks and the assimilation of the name into different dialects.
Ultimately, the name Bumpus exemplifies the way common surnames in England often evolved from nicknames describing a physical feature, characteristic, or occupation, and how over centuries spelling differences and migration have shaped the modern distribution of the name.
Typical given names associated with the Bumpus surname
Male
- Adam
- Adrian
- Albert
- Andrew
- David
- John
- Lee
- Martin
- Paul
- Peter
- Roy
- William
Female
- Carolyn
- Catherine
- Cynthia
- Diane
- Dorothy
- Eileen
- Laura
- Nicola
- 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 Bumpus in...
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There are approximately 113 people named Bumpus in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around two in a million people in Britain are named Bumpus.
