Bully History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Early Origins of the Bully family

The surname Bully was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area, where one of the first records of the name was William Bully was listed as a bailie of Edinburgh in 1403. Bulley is a hamlet in Gloucestershire, almost 7 miles (11 km) west of the city of Gloucester.

Early History of the Bully family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bully research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1418 is included under the topic Early Bully History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bully Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Bully has been spelled Bully, Bulley, Bullie and others.

Early Notables of the Bully family

More information is included under the topic Early Bully Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bully migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Bully Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nicholas Bully who settled in Maine in 1630

Bully Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Bully, who settled in Maryland in 1730

Bully migration to Australia +

Bully Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Bully, English convict from Devon, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Bully (post 1700) +

Norman Bully, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1956; Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1976 2
Alwin Bully (1948-2023), Dominican cultural administrator, playwright, actor and artist, who designed the national flag of Dominica

Sources +

State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html