Bowditch Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Bowditch last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Bowditch last name
Meaning of the Bowditch last name: bow-shaped ditch. Bowditch is an English surname from a place in Dorset, from Old English boga, "bow, bend", and dic, "ditch". Nathaniel Bowditch of Salem wrote The American Practical Navigator, still carried on ships. The last name is found in Dorset, Devon and New England.
Arms associated with the Bowditch name
Coats of arms associated with the Bowditch surname follow English heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Bowditch family history
This is only a glimpse of the Bowditch story. The full Bowditch history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Bowditch coat of arms. Get the full Bowditch report.
Bowditch name FAQ
What does the Bowditch name mean?
Bow-shaped ditch. Common variants include Bowdich.
Where does the Bowditch surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Bowditch coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Bowditch coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).