Contents [hide]

Buller History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Buller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Buller is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Buller family lived in Cornwall. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Flemish region of Boulaere, where the family resided before emigrating to England.

Early Origins of the Buller family

The surname Buller was first found in Cornwall in the parish of Probus. "The great and small tithes have been for many years in the Buller family, to whom they still belong. The patronage of the curacy, which is annexed to that of Lower St. Columb, together with the great and small tithes, is now vested in the representatives of Sir Francis Buller, one of the late judges of the King's Bench." 1

"By John Buller, Esq. of Morval, the sum of £15 per annum, out of some funded property, was given in the reign of Queen Anne for charitable uses [in the parish of Creed.]" 1

"The manor of Drannock or Kirland, [in the parish of Gwinear] was in a divided state so early as the reign of Elizabeth, and in severalties it still remains. Of these parts, the principal possessors at present are, James Buller, Esq. of Downes, M. P. who holds a third." 1

"More than two centuries have elapsed, since the manors of Shillingham and Trehan, together with Combe farm, have been in the Buller family. The elder branch of this family becoming extinct on the death of James Buller, Esq. in 1710, the Shillingham estate passed to the Bullers of Morval; and it is now the property of James Buller, Esq. of Downes near Crediton. Of the old mansion of the Bullers at Shillingham there are at present scarcely any remains, but the ruins of the old chapel still appear." 1

Early History of the Buller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buller research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1613, 1630, 1632, 1659, 1660, 1679, 1682, 1688, 1689 and 1716 are included under the topic Early Buller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buller Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Buller, Bullar, Buler and others.

Early Notables of the Buller family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Anthony Buller (1613-1679), an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1660
Francis Buller (c. 1630-1682), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Cornwall (1659), Member of Parliament for Saltash (1660-1679)

Buller Ranking

In the United States, the name Buller is the 7,695^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Buller migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Buller or a variant listed above:

Buller Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Buller, who landed in Virginia in 1642 3
Thomas Buller who settled in Virginia in 1643
Hendrich Benckson Buller, who arrived in Delaware in 1649 3
Sarah Buller, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1684 3
Judeth Buller, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1684 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Buller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Buller, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
Margaretha Buller, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 3
Johnathon Buller, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1727

Buller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jan Buller, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1807 3
William Buller, who landed in Maryland in 1809 3
Fr Jacob Buller, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1836 3
A Cath Buller, who arrived in America in 1837 3
W Buller, who arrived in America in 1837 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Buller migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Buller Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Peter Buller, who landed in Manitoba in 1874

Buller migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Buller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Buller, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Clara"
Mr. Thomas Buller, (b. 1806), aged 53, Cornish labourer departing from Liverpool on 16th October 1858 aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 10th January 1859 4
Miss Elizabeth Buller, (b. 1841), aged 18, Cornish settler departing from Liverpool on 16th October 1858 aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 10th January 1859 4
Mr. Thomas Buller, (b. 1832), aged 27, Cornish farm labourer departing from Plymouth aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1859 5
Mrs. Jane Buller, (b. 1835), aged 24, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1859 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Buller migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Buller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Buller, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840
Miss Buller, British settler travelling from London with sister aboard the ship "Josephine Willis" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1855 6
Mr. Buller, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Josephine Willis" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1855 6
Mrs. Buller, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Josephine Willis" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1855 6
Mary Ann Buller, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lorraine" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Buller (post 1700) +

Sir Edward Buller (1764-1824), 1st Baronet British officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Sir Francis Buller (1746-1800), 1st Baronet English lawyer on the King's Bench (1778-1794) from Downes House, Crediton, Devon 7
John Sydney Buller MBE (1909-1970), English first-class cricketer
Joe Buller (1909-1986), English footballer
Major Eric Tremayne Buller M.C. (1894-1973), English cricketer and British Army officer
Edmund Wilbur Hudson "Ed" Buller (b. 1962), English record producer and former musician
Sir Anthony Buller (1780-1866), English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for West Looe (1812–1816) and (1831-1832), 7th son of John Buller (1745–1793)
General Sir George Buller GCB (1802-1884), British Army officer who served in the Rifle Brigade and as a commander of a brigade in the Crimean War 7
Charles Buller (1806-1848), British reform politician who received part of his education from Thomas Carlyle and a friend of John Stuart Mill. Buller served as a parliamentarian from 1830 until his death. In 1838, he traveled with Lord Durham to Canada as Durham's private secretary. Buller was appointed judge-advocate-general in 1846, and served as chief commissioner of the Poor Law for the year prior to his death 7
John Buller (d. 1807), British MP for East Looe
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Buller Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Aquila non captat muscas
Motto Translation: The eagle is no fly-catcher.

Citations +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019