Bodley Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Bodley last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Bodley last name
Meaning of the Bodley last name: boda's clearing. Bodley is an English surname from a place in Devon, from a personal name Boda and leah, "clearing". Sir Thomas Bodley refounded the library at Oxford in 1602, now the Bodleian Library. The architect George Frederick Bodley also carried this last name.
Arms associated with the Bodley name
Coats of arms associated with the Bodley surname follow English heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Bodley family history
This is only a glimpse of the Bodley story. The full Bodley 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 Bodley coat of arms. Get the full Bodley report.
Bodley name FAQ
What does the Bodley name mean?
Boda's clearing. Common variants include Bodleigh.
Where does the Bodley surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Bodley coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Bodley coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).