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Bona Family History

Bona Surname Meaning

Italian, Catalan, and Spanish: from the female personal name Bona, from the feminine form of the Latin name Bonus ‘good’ (see Bono).

Hungarian (Bóna) and Polish: from a pet form of the personal name Bonifác (Hungarian) Bonifacy (Polish) (see Boniface).

Italian and Catalan: nickname from feminine bona ‘good’ (compare Bono).

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


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Where is the Bona family from?

You can see how Bona families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bona family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bona families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 85 Bona families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 49% of all the recorded Bona's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Bona families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bona 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 Bona ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Bona. 50% of Bona men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Bona women worked as a Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Bona | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    50%
  • Labourer
    17%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Fisherman
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    100%

What Bona family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Bona. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bona census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Bona

Passenger Lists

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

View all Bona immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Bona. For the veterans among your Bona ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Bona military records

You've only scratched the surface of Bona family history

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What is the average Bona lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Bona life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Bona in 1951 was 44, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bona

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Bona ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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