Show ContentsBullo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Bullo surname is derived from the Middle English word "bullok," from the Old English "bulluc," which refer to a "young bull." As a name, it most likely evolved from a nickname for an exuberant young man, or a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of bullocks. 1 2

Early Origins of the Bullo family

The surname Bullo was first found in Roxburghshire where one of the earliest records of the name was Adam Bulloc who witnessed an agreement the abbot and the monks of Newbattle c. 1250. A few years later, Richard Bullock was slain at the Battle of Cambok in 1278. 3

"The name was probably introduced from England, and in the fourteenth century there was 'a family of sailors of the name trading between English and Scottish port.' " 3

"William Bulloc was attorney for the provost of Haddington, 1329. Another William Bullok, 'an ecclesiastic of obscure birth but great military talent was prominent in the early part of the reign of David 11, but eventually falling under suspicion was confined in a squalid dungeon in Lochindorb Castle to die of cold and hunger in 1346. Robert Bullock, custumar of Aberdeen, 1358-1370 may be the Robert Bullok who witnessed a deed of sale, 1383. " 3

Balloch Castle was north-east of the village of Kenmore, Perth and Kinross and was built in 1552. In the early 19th century, Balloch Castle was demolished by the Campbells of Breadalbane so that a new much larger castle could be built.

Further to the south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed a wide variety of spellings and locations: Alan Bulloc, Lincolnshire; Ralph Bullokke, Norfolk; Godwin Bulloc, Suffolk; Richard Bulluc, Oxfordshire; and William Bolloc, Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Walterus Bullok as holding lands there at that time. 4

Early History of the Bullo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bullo research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1444, 1446, 1454, 1464, 1520, 1521, 1526, 1580, 1586, 1590, 1604, 1616, 1622, 1641, 1642, 1657, 1690, 1692, 1724, 1730, 1740, 1777 and 1931 are included under the topic Early Bullo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bullo Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bullock, Bullocke, Bulloch, Bullok, Bulloc and others.

Early Notables of the Bullo family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • Henry Bullock (d. 1526), an English divine, educated at the university of Cambridge. George Bullock (1521?-1580?), was a Catholic divine, born in or about 1521. It has been conjectured that he receive...
  • Christopher Bullock (1690?-1724), was an English actor and dramatist, spoken of in the playbills as Bullock, junior, was the son of William Bullock (1657?-1740?), also an actor
  • William Bullokar (fl. 1586), was an English phonetist, lived chiefly in London from about 1520 to 1590. John Bullokar (fl. 1622), was an English lexicographer, alive from about 1580 to about 1641, and...
  • Archibald Bullock (1730-1777), Revolutionary Governor of Georgia in 1777, great-great-grandfather of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States

Migration of the Bullo family to Ireland

Some of the Bullo family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Bullo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bullo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Bullo, aged 30, who landed in Missouri in 1846 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Bullo (post 1700) +

  • Francesco Bullo, American Engineering professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara


The Bullo 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: Nil conscire sibi
Motto Translation: Conscious of no wrong


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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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