BULL

Bull is an English surname that originated in the British Isles. It has long been associated with Christian communities in England, where it first gained renown as a nickname rather than a hereditary family name.

The etymology of Bull can be traced back to the Old English word bula, and later Medieval forms such as bul(l)e or bol(l)e, all of which literally mean ‘bull’. As a nickname it was applied to individuals who displayed exceptional strength, bravery or stubbornness, qualities traditionally attributed to a bull.

Beyond the descriptive nickname, the name may have derived from topographic features that resembled a bull’s shape, such as a hill or mound. It could also have been occupational, designating a bullkeeper or someone who worked in a bull‑rearing or bull‑fighting setting. In some instances, the surname appears to have been connected with a house or inn sign, a practice common in medieval England.

The earliest surviving record of the name dates to the late twelfth century. An entry in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire documents a Wulfwin Bule in 1170 during the reign of King Henry I. Subsequent records include Hulle le Bule in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1201 and William le Bole in the Curia Regis Rolls of Surrey in 1214, confirming the name’s use across various counties.

Over the centuries, Bull has appeared in a variety of spellings, including Bulle, Bool and Boole. A christening record from 1557 shows that an Elizabeth Bull was baptised at St. Andrews in Enfield, illustrating the name’s continued presence in parish registers during the Tudor period.

In the early seventeenth century, a man named Edward Bull is documented as emigrating from London aboard the Faulcon to Barbados in April 1635. He was one of the earliest holders of the surname to settle in the New World, thereby extending the name’s geographic reach beyond England.

The heraldic traditions associated with the name include a grant of arms to John Bull of London. The shield bears a silver chevron charged with three red roses between three silver bull heads on a red field. The crest features a wreath, a cloud proper and a blue celestial sphere adorned with four gold circles containing the zodiacal signs Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer, all set upon the cloud. These elements symbolise the noble attributes of the bull within a classical framework.

Today, the surname Bull remains borne by individuals throughout England and abroad, maintaining its historical connections to strength, resilience and a long lineage of recorded usage. Its survival across centuries underscores the enduring legacy of one of the most straightforward yet potent animal symbols in English onomastics.

Typical given names associated with the Bull surname

Male

• Andrew
• Christopher
• David
• James
• John
• Michael
• Peter
• Richard
• Robert
• Stephen

Female

• Elizabeth
• Helen
• Karen
• Margaret
• Mary
• Nicola
• Patricia
• Sarah
• Susan
• Victoria

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Bull in...

Braille

⠃⠥⠇⠇

Morse

-.....-.-...-..

Semaphore

Did you know?

According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Bull are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Digestive.

Surname type: Nickname

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Bull

• Steve Bull - Football player and manager
• Peter Bull - Actor (1912 to 1984)
• David Bull - Doctor
• Nikki Bull - Football player
• Deborah Bull, Baroness Bull - Dancer, writer and broadcaster
• Gary Bull - Football player
• Ronnie Bull - Football player
• René Bull - Draftsman and illustrator (1872 to 1942)
• Amy Bull - 1877–1953), suffragist (1877 to 1953)
• Sir William Bull, 1st Baronet - Politician (1863 to 1931)
• James Bull - Cricketer
• Geoffrey Bull - Missionary (1921 to 1999)
• George Bull - Bishop of St David's (1634 to 1710)
• Arthur Bull - Cricketer (1892 to 1965)
• Bartle Bull - Politician (1902 to 1950)
• Charlie Bull - Cricketer (1909 to 1939)
• Leslie George Bull - (1916 to 1944)
• Lucien Bull - French chronophotographer (1876 to 1972)
• Micky Bull - Football player (1930 to 1)

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

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