This most interesting surname is of Old Dutch (Flemish) origin, and is a topographical name for a dweller in or at an orchard, or an occupational name for someone employed in one, from the Dutch "bogerd", an orchard. The surname is cognate with the German "Baumgarten", with the same meaning, deriving from the German "Baumgarten", orchard, a compound of the Old High German "boum", tree and "garto", enclosure. Variants of the surname found in the modern idiom include Bougaerts, Bogaerts, Van de Bogaert, Bo(o)gaart, Bogaard and Bo(o)gert. Early examples of the surname include the marriage of Neeltje Bogaerts to Peter Jans on January 14th 1595, at Utrecht; the christening of Michiel, son of Maerten and Machtelt Bogaert at Delft, Zuid Holland, on April 4th 1623; and the marriage of Michiel Boogaerts and Anneken Abrams on November 10th 1641, at Dordrecht, Zuid Holland. A Coat of Arms depicting a silver chevron on a gold shield was granted to a Bogaert family in Amsterdam. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gijsbert Bogaert, which was dated 1566, a christening witness at Schoonderwoerd, Zuid Holland, during the reign of Margaret of Parma (sister of Philip 11 of Spain), regent of Holland, 1559 - 1567. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.