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Bonney Family History

Bonney Surname Meaning

English (Lancashire): nickname for a handsome person, especially a large or well-built one, from northern dialect bonnie ‘fine, beautiful’ (still in common use in northern England and Scotland).

English: variant of Bunney. German: variant of Boney. This surname is very rare in Germany.

French: variant of Bonnet.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Bonney family from?

You can see how Bonney families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bonney family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bonney families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 327 Bonney families living in Lancashire. This was about 41% of all the recorded Bonney's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Bonney families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bonney surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Bonney ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Bonney. 23% of Bonney men worked as a General Labourer and 75% of Bonney women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bonney were Upholsterer and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Bonney | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    23%
  • Builders Labourer
    7%
  • Incapacitated
    5%
  • Upholsterer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    75%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%

What Bonney family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 49,000 census records available for the last name Bonney. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bonney census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Bonney

Passenger Lists

There are 4,000 immigration records available for the last name Bonney. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Bonney immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Bonney. For the veterans among your Bonney ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bonney military records

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