BUNN
The surname Bunn is of English provenance, with a documentary presence in the British Isles from at least the twelfth century onward.
In the earliest extant records the name is linked to the Old English word bun, denoting a small, round loaf of bread. It is believed that the initial bearer of the surname was either a baker or a retail salesman who produced or sold these buns, or alternatively that the name was a descriptive nickname for an individual possessing a round or plump appearance reminiscent of a bun. The surname subsequently became hereditary, passing from one generation to the next.
Some evidence points to an alternative origin. The name may also be derived from the Old French bon, meaning “good”. In the early medieval period it was customary to create surnames from nicknames that reflected personal qualities; thus a person of upright or benevolent disposition could have been called le Bon or le Bone. Record of an Edward le Bon in the 1204 Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire and a Walter le Bone in the 1296 Subsidy Rolls of Sussex attest to this practice. The spelling Bonne appears in the 1379 calendar of letter books for Huntingdonshire, while the earliest recorded spelling of the family name in England is Rocelin le Bun in the 1255 Hundred Rolls of Wiltshire, during the reign of King Henry the Third.
By the seventeenth century the name had spread beyond England. The marriage of Jane Bunn to William Iddes in Climping, Sussex, is dated 17 February 1635, and a muster taken on 30 January 1624 in Virginea lists Thomas Bunn, his wife Bridgitt and their one‑year‑old son Thomas. They were among the earliest recorded bearers of the name to settle in America, illustrating the early trans‑Atlantic migration of the family.
In the nineteenth century, Alfred Bunn (1796‑1860), fondly dubbed “Poet Bunn”, served as the manager of Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres from 1833 to 1848. During his tenure he was instrumental in bringing English operas to wide audiences, thereby elevating the cultural status of the name.
The family Coats of Arms, as recorded in heraldic registries, comprise a silver field with three grieces in black, red and blue over which a cross calvary of the third colour is displayed. In chief are two red crescents. The crest depicts an ostrich’s head in silver, collared in red, positioned between two green palm branches.
Today, the surname Bunn is found throughout the English‑speaking world. Though the name’s origins may be traced to culinary nicknames or to the Old French term for good, contemporary bearers of the name inherit a rich and formally documented heritage that spans legal, theatrical and heraldic records across continents.
Typical given names associated with the Bunn surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Matthew
- Michael
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Danielle
- Elaine
- Elizabeth
- Joanne
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Patricia
- 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 Bunn in...
Braille
⠃⠥⠝⠝
Morse
-.....--.-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 5,938 people named Bunn in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,600th most common surname in Britain. Around 91 in a million people in Britain are named Bunn.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Bunn
- Mark Bunn - Football player
- Harry Bunn - Football player
- Frankie Bunn - Football player and manager
- Margaret Agnes Bunn - Actress (1799 to 1883)
- Fred Bunn - Football player (1861 to 1921)
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.