Puller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Puller is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was a name given to a young buck; it is derived from the Old French word poulain, which meant colt. This nickname would have been given to a person given over to friskiness and possessed of a certain nervous energy in much the same way a young horse is. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal. In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demigods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk-tales, mythology, and legends which portrayed animals behaving as humans.

Early Origins of the Puller family

The surname Puller was first found in Yorkshire but one of the earliest record of the name was Robert Pullen (died 1146), an English theologian and official of the Roman Catholic Church. He is generally thought to have been born in Poole, Devonshire and first educated in England. He was Archdeacon of Rochester in 1134. Shortly after this appointment, he went to Paris. There, he taught logic and theology tutoring John of Salisbury, who describes him as a man commended both by his life and his learning in 1141. Back in France, we found that John and Ivo Polain were listed in Normandy (1185-1190.) A few years later nine of the name were listed there in 1198 1

Early History of the Puller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Puller research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1517, 1565, 1598, 1631, 1648, 1654, 1657, 1667, 1690, 1713, 1714 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Puller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Puller Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Puller were recorded, including Pulleine, Pullen, Pullan, Pulleyn, Pulling and many more.

Early Notables of the Puller family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Samuel Pullen, Pullein, or Pulleyne (1598-1667), an English prelate, Archbishop of Tuam, son of William Pullein, rector of Ripley, Yorkshire; Benjamin Pulleyn (died 1690) the Cambridge tutor of Isaac Newton; Samuel Pullen (also Pullein and Pulleyne) (1598-1667), who was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Tuam; and Henry-Percy Pulleine who purchased Crake Hall. John Pullain (Pullayne or Pulleyne) (1517-1565) was a Yorkshire divine and poet who was educated at New College, Oxford. Josiah Pullen (1631-1714) was Vice-Principal...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Puller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Puller migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Puller family emigrate to North America:

Puller Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Puller, who landed in Virginia in 1652 2

Puller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

F Puller, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Puller (post 1700) +

Lewis Burwell Puller Jr. (1945-1994), American attorney, Pulitzer prize winning author and officer in the United States Marines
Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller (1898-1971), the only United States Marine to receive the Navy Cross 5 times 3
Linda Todd Puller (b. 1945), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Virginia State House of Delegates 44th District, 1992-99; Member of Virginia State Senate 36th District, 2000- 4
Sir Christopher Puller (1774-1824), English barrister-at-law; he was knighted in 1823 on succeeding Sir R. H. Blossett as Chief Justice of Bengal

The Puller 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: Nulla pallescere culpa
Motto Translation: To turn pale from no crime.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
Lewis Puller. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Lewis Puller. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesty_Puller
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html