Bul History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The origins of the Bul surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was a person of strong character or who was physically strong and big. 1 2 3
Early Origins of the Bul family
The surname Bul 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 Bul family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bul 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 Bul History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bul Spelling Variations
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Bul has been recorded under many different variations, including Bull, Bule, Bulls, Buyll, Bula and others.
Early Notables of the Bul 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 Cathed...
- Henry 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 an musician, 'of the same family, as it seems, with those of his name in Somersetshire.' "According to the pedigree of the Bulls of Peglinch or Peylinch in the parish of We...
- Henry Bull (1630-1692), was an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Wells (1660-1661), Milborne Port (1679-1689) and Bridgwater (1689-1692.)
- George Bull (1634-1710), was Bishop of St. David's and belonged to an old Somersetshire family, and was born, 25 March 1634, in the parish of St. Cuthbert, Wells. 8
- Captain Thomas Bull (c.1605-1684), was an English settler to the Connecticut Colony in 1636, and one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut; Henry Bull (1610-1694), 12th and 14th Governor of the Col...
Bul migration to the United States +
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Bul or a variant listed above:
Bul Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Jacob Bul, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 9
Citations +
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 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)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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)