www.bonitz-forum.de - Bonitz Families Homepage

Welcome to the Bonitz family website
at www.bonitz-forum.de

This homepage is a global forum for all Bonitz family members
or related persons to the various Bonitz families worldwide.
It is also intended for those who are interested in the genealogy of the Bonitz families.
This site offers, among others, a listing of all known Bonitz family members, as well as information about the origin and today's whereabouts of different Bonitz families.
There are also numerous links available to global occurrences of the Bonitz surname.

The oldest known Bonitz families are from Germany. They have their roots in Saxony and the ore mountains. The first mentions can be found in Zwönitz (incl. Kühnhaide, Niederzwönitz, Brünlos) and Jahnsdorf, starting from ca. 1600 also in Stollberg, Bernsbach, Dittersdorf, Altendorf or Taura. Later the surname has spread into the regions Zwickau, Chemnitz, Vogtland and Dresden.
One Bonitz family member presumably moved to Zellerfeld in the Harz mountains (belonging to Hannover), making the name present in the local records since approx. 1650.
Around 1780, a different Bonitz family has settled in Weisskirchen in the Banat region (belonging to Hungary at that time), and their descendants can now be found in Hungary, Austria and southern Germany.
Another group of Bonitz families seem to have their origin at the German coast of the north sea. The surname Bonitz (also: Bohnitz) was derived from an old Danish first name and can be found on the island of Föhr, in Husum and later also in Hamburg.
Besides these main lines, there are other families e.g. in the Rhineland or along the river Elbe whose origins are not clear yet.

In recent centuries, individuals of almost every Bonitz family branch emmigrated to the USA.
Most of today's Bonitz families in the USA are linked to these German immigrants.
But there is one other Bonitz line in the U.S. whose last name is derived from the Italian family name "Abbonizzio".

Click here for an interactive map with the geographical distribution of the family name, shown over several centuries.

This web site is intended to display and publish genealogical research details about Bonitz families around the world. It shall also help to find connections between the family branches and encourage communication within and between the family lines.

This project shall also include all similar forms like Ponitz, Boniz, Bohnitz, or Bönitz as long as any connection to an existing Bonitz lineage can be found.

Read about recent changes/additions to this site.

Overview of recent family news.

Contact: Please send any questions, suggestions, or comments to
Jochen Bonitz, who is the author of this site.
Any new data or information updates will be appreciated.