Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Bugedone 1086 DB

• Bugedon' 1180×1200 MktHPR 1203 FF 1205 ClR 1224 RHug

• Bugedona 1175 P 1208 ChR

• Bugedun(e) l.Hy2 BM 1199 FF 1228 RHug

• Buggedon' 1173,1174 P 1227 Fees

• Buggedone 1209x19,1228 RHug

• Buggedona 1209×19 ib

• Buggedun 1210 GildR

• Bughedon' 1220 Fees 1229,1234,1237 Cl 1247 Fees

• Bugendon' 1188 P 1200 Cur

• Buggendon 1199 FF

• Buggeden(e) 1174 ChancR 1179 P 1214,1215 et freq

• Bugeden' 1203,1204 1237 RGros

• Buggenden' 1180 ChancR 1180(p),1181 P 1196 ChancR

• Buedon(e) 1202 Ass 1230 ChancR 1242 ClR

• Buwedon' 1230,1242 P 1247,1249 RGros

• Budon' 1234 Cl 1247 Fine 1290,1292 OSut

• Budun' 1252,1265 Pat

• Boudon' 1220 MHW a.1250 MktHPR 1343,1344 1514 Wyg

• Boudun 1251 Cl 1252 Lib

• Bowedon' 1415,1416 Pat 1471,1481 MktHPR

• Bowdon' 1416,1425 MktHPR 1523,1528 Wyg 1576 Saxton 1577 LEpis

• Bowden 1444 MktHPR 1497 Wyg 1522,1523 Wyg

• Magna ~ 1180×1200 MktHPR 1204 Cur

• ~ Magna 1331,1344 MktHPR 1479,1480 et passim

• Mikell ~ 1467×72 ECP

• Mekell ~ 1483 MktHPR

• Much ~ 1486×1515 ECP 1523 Wyg

• Meche ~ 1500 MktHPR

• Mich ~ 1508 ib

• Mych(e) ~ 1516,1518 1530 1543 BM

• Moch(e) ~ 1520,1522 MktHPR

• Gret(t) ~ 1515,1520 MktHPR 1528 et passim

• Great(e) ~ 1522 Wyg 1547 Chap 1610 Speed

Etymology

Either 'Buga's hill' or 'Bucga's (Bugga's) hill', v. dūn . Buga (Redin 74) is an OE  masc. pers.n., while Bucga (alternative form Bugga , Searle 119) is fem., in each case the -en - and -un - of some p.n. forms being survivals of a gen.sg. inflexion -an . Ekwall DEPN, s. n. Bowden, Great & Little, styles the OE  masc. pers.n. as Būga and the fem. pers.n. as Bucge . A series of early spellings represents the generic as from OE  denu 'a valley', presumably with reference to that of the river Welland which flows beside Bowden, while later spellings suggest a reforming of the name as if from OE  *boga -dūn , where boga is used in its topographically extended sense 'something curved', hence 'a curving hill or hill-side'.

For the affixes, v. mikill , muche , grēat . Note also MLat  magna 'big, large'.