Show ContentsHulse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Hulse is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hulse family lived in Hulse, a township, in the parish of Great Budworth, union and hundred of Northwich in Cheshire. 1 2

Hulse is derived from the Old English word holh, which means hollow or depression.

Early Origins of the Hulse family

The surname Hulse was first found in Cheshire where they are conjecturally descended from Bigot de Loges, the holder of these estates at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book. It is assumed that this noble may be assumed to be William Bigot, brother of the famous Roger Bigod, both of whom were at the Conquest in 1066. 3

The Royal County of Berkshire, home of Windsor Castle was home to an early branch of the family. "In 13th century Bartholomew de la Huse was of the same county (Testa de Neville); and in 1322 Peter de la Huse or Hoese was returned from Berkshire for Knight Service. " 4

In the 15th century, we found Thomas Hulse, East Cheshire in 1473 and the Register of the University of Oxford included Robert Hulse, Cheshire in 1581. 5

The Hulse Baronetcy, of Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex is a title created on 7 February 1739 for Edward Hulse, (c. 1682-1759) Physician in Ordinary to Queen Anne, George I and George II. 6 This Baronetcy continues to this day. Their family seat is Breamore House, Breamore, Hampshire.

Early History of the Hulse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hulse research. Another 199 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1616, 1660, 1682, 1708, 1714, 1744, 1759, 1790, 1800, 1802 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Hulse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hulse Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Hulse are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Hulse include Huls, Hulse, Hulles, Hulsey and others.

Early Notables of the Hulse family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Edward Hulse, 1st Baronet (c. 1682-1759), of Lincoln's Inn Fields, was Physician in Ordinary to Queen Anne, King George I and King George II
  • Sir Edward Hulse, 2nd Baronet (1714-1800) was an English peer, as was Sir Edward Hulse, 3rd Baronet (1744-1816), High Sheriff of Hampshire in 1802
  • John Hulse (1708-1790), was founder of the Hulsean lectures, born at Middlewich, Cheshire, on 15 March 1708, was eldest of the nineteen children of Thomas Hulse of Elworth Hall, Sandbach, in the same...

Hulse Ranking

In the United States, the name Hulse is the 5,488th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7


United States Hulse migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Hulse, or a variant listed above:

Hulse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Meverrell Hulse, who landed in Maryland in 1679 8
Hulse Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • R. Hulse, who settled in Maryland in 1767
Hulse Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Hulse who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1843
  • G. W. Hulse settled in San Francisco, California in 1850
  • P Hulse, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
  • DeWitt Hulse, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 8

Australia Hulse migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hulse Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Martha Hulse, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
  • Miss Sarah Hulse who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Mr. John Hulse, (b. 1816), aged 18, English servant who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mary Ann Hulse, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
  • Mr. William Hulse, English convict who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for 20 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Contemporary Notables of the name Hulse (post 1700) +

  • Frank Wilson Hulse III (1913-1992), American founder and former chairman of Southern Airways
  • Chuck Hulse (b. 1927), retired American racecar driver
  • David Lindsey Hulse (b. 1968), American retired Major League Baseball outfielder from San Angelo, Texas
  • David Allen Hulse (b. 1948), American author of books on occult doctrine
  • Russell Alan Hulse (b. 1950), American physicist awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1993 for his 1974 discovery of a binary pulsar, which helped to confirm the existence of gravitational waves
  • Stewart Hulse Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Johns Hopkins University
  • Edward J. Hulse, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Jersey State Senate from Burlington County, 1963 13
  • Dwight Lyman Hulse (1908-1990), American politician, Mayor of Arcadia, California, 1955-56 13
  • Charles W. Hulse, American politician, Representative from Connecticut 3rd District, 1914 13
  • Charles A. Hulse (1852-1918), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Clinton County, 1913-18 13
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. 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)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  12. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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