The following are Frequently Asked Questions about the
Baughen One Name Study.
- What is a One Name Study ?
- What names are included ?
- Is the data shared?
- What does it cost ?
- How can I converse with others?
- Where do the Baughens etc. come from?
- Why are there variants?
- How is the name pronounced?
A One Name Study is the collection of data of all people that share the same identified
surname. One of the objectives is to link as many individuals together and show common
ancestry.
The Baughen One Name Study has a worldwide coverage.
It is registered with the Guild of One Name Studies (GOONS).
The name Baughen can be spelt as
BAUGHEN , BAUGHAN , BAUGHAM , BAUGHN , BAUFFIN , BAFFIN , BOFFIN , DEBAUGHN and
DEBAUGHAN.
For the American lines it is known that the name can also be spelt BOUGHEN , BOUGHAN,
BOUGHAM and BOUGHN.
There are other variants but these are not included except where there are known
discrepancies.
The vast majority of data held is available in the public domain. It can be shared with
people with a common interest in the name. It is not intended for general publication in
either hardcopy or electronic form.
The One Name Study involves no direct costs (other than those paid by myself).
A newsgroup has been set up for communicating with others sharing this interest. To
subscribe to the group send an email to BAUGHEN-L-request@rootsweb.com
with the subject subscribe and no content (if you wish to just
receive a digest version do the same but email to BAUGHEN-D-request@rootsweb.com). Once you
have joined you send emails to BAUGHEN-L@rootsweb.com
. These are then send to everyone that has subscribed to the newsgroup.
It costs nothing to belong to the newsgroup other than your time and email resources.
I'm sure there is no single answer. There have been numerous proposals etc. and there
are various surname dictionaries that state certain origins - but nothing consistent.
From my research in England the following areas are the centres of concentration:
Boffin is the earliest located reference (Oxfordshire - 13th Century).
One hundred and fifty years ago education levels often depended upon who you were.
Those that could write put down names as they heard it. Therefore someone living in
Bloxham, Oxfordshire in 1850 could have their birth registered under one spelling, their
christening or baptism under another and appear in the 1851 census under another.
Then there are the clerical errors - how often has your mail been addressed
incorrectly?
The DeBaughn and DeBaughan variants changed from Baughn and Baughan making it sound as
though they came from France or the Low Countries. Whether this was a fashion statement or
was the origin has yet to be established.
Phonetically the name Baughen is pronounced 'bawn'. This is in the BBC Pronounciation
guide (the former Bishop of Chester Michael Baughen regularly appeared on BBC radio).
A great deal still depends upon where you live. In Bloxham the name Baughen and Boffin
are pronounced the same and to my ear sounds more like 'borefin'.
Author : Cliff Baughen
Copyright © [Cliff Baughen]. All rights reserved.
Revised: July 29, 2009.
