Show ContentsBule History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture once found in Britain is the soil from which the many generations of the Bule family have grown. The name Bule was given to a member of the family who was a person of strong character or who was physically strong and big. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Bule family

The surname Bule was first found in Somerset, where John le Bole was one of the first listings of the name found in 1284. 4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: William le Bole in Cambridgeshire; Geoffrey Bolle in Staffordshire; Ralph le Bule in Oxfordshire; and Robert le Bule in Somerset. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Willelmus Bulle; and Elena Bull. 5

Wulfin Bule was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1170, Hulle le Bule was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1201, William le Bole was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Surrey in 1214 and Ralph le Bulle was listed in Northumberland in 1288. 6

The name reached as far north as Scotland where the name Bull was evident from 1296 when William Bull of Ayrshire rendered homage, to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland. 7

Early History of the Bule family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bule research. Another 242 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1275, 1376, 1535, 1540, 1552, 1563, 1575, 1582, 1585, 1591, 1605, 1610, 1623, 1628, 1630, 1634, 1636, 1660, 1661, 1679, 1684, 1685, 1686, 1689, 1690, 1692, 1694, 1710 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Bule History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bule 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 Bule family name include Bull, Bule, Bulls, Buyll, Bula and others.

Early Notables of the Bule family

Distinguished members of the family include Dr. John Bull (1552-1628) English composer, organist, virginalist, organ builder, and keyboard virtuoso, composer of "God Save the Queen." On Dec. 24, 1582 he was appointed organist of Hereford Cathedral and afterwards master of the children. In January 1585 he was admitted a member of the Chapel Royal, and in 1591 on the death of his master is said to have succeeded him as organist. 8Henry Bull (d. 1575?), theological writer, a native of Warwickshire, was a demy of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1535, and full fellow and B.A. in 1540. John Bull (1563?-1628), was...
Another 176 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bule Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bule 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 Bule surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Bule Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Bule, aged 19, who landed in New York in 1854 9


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  8. Grove, Sir George, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (AD. 1450-1889) London: Macmillan1902, Print, 2 Vols
  9. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook