Hullet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Hullet is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Hullet is a name that comes from the Norman personal name Hugh. Howlett was a baptismal name which means the son of Hugh. As the naming tradition grew in Europe, baptismal names began to be introduced in many countries. Baptismal names were sometimes given in honour of Christian saints and other biblical figures. There are very few Christian countries in Europe that did not adopt surnames from these religious figures.

Early Origins of the Hullet family

The surname Hullet was first found in Yorkshire where early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Johannes Houlet et uxor ejus and Adam Howlot et Agnes uxor were listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Roger filius Hulot was also listed in Yorkshire in another early census. 1

Agnes Hughelot was found in Norfolk c. 1248, Thomas Huwelot in Huntingdonshire c. 1250, and Richard Hulot in the Hundredorum Rolls of Suffolk in 1275. The Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire included John Huelot there in 1327. 2

Early History of the Hullet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hullet research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1552, 1564, 1566, 1570, 1571, 1587, 1589, 1701, 1736 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Hullet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hullet Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Howlett, Howlet, Hullett and others.

Early Notables of the Hullet family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Howlet (1548-1589), English Jesuit, "born in the county of Rutland in 1548. He entered at Exeter College, Oxford, in 1564, and graduated B.A. in 1566, becoming a fellow. He went abroad in 1570 with the permission of his college, intending to travel to Rome, but, entering the college of Douay in the same year, he was in 1571 received into the order of Jesus at Louvain. At Douay he was a contemporary of Campion, and studied theology. He afterwards taught many different subjects, chiefly at Douay. In 1587 he proceeded to Poland...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hullet Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hullet family to Ireland

Some of the Hullet 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.

Migration of the Hullet family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Hullet name or one of its variants: Randall and William Howlett settled in Virginia in 1623; Thomas Howlett settled in Salem Mass in 1630; another Thomas Howlet settled in Virginia in 1635..

Citations +

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)