Show ContentsBilder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient name of Bilder finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a person who worked as a builder or a stone mason. The surname is a derivative of the Old English verb byldan, and the Old English word bilden, which both mean to build. 1 2

Early Origins of the Bilder family

The surname Bilder was first found in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland, where Albric Buldur was listed in 1203. Later, Bate Bolder was found in Yorkshire in 1286 and much later, Richard Buldur was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

Another source notes that the following were also in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls: Rogerus Bulder; Alicia Bulder; and Johannes Bulder. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include a listing for Robert Bulder. 1

Early History of the Bilder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bilder research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Bilder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bilder Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bilder family name include Builder, Bulder, Buildar, Bilder, Bylder and others.

Early Notables of the Bilder family

More information is included under the topic Early Bilder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bilder migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bilder surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Bilder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Martin Bilder, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 3
Bilder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Valentin Bilder, who settled in North America in 1868
  • Katherine Bilder, who settled in New York in 1886
  • Christian Bilder, who arrived in New York, NY in 1886
  • Martin Bilder, who arrived in New York in 1886


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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