Bull

Etymology

Bull is most commonly explained as a nickname surname from the animal name, used for someone thought to be strong, stubborn, or powerful. Early surname writers also noted that it could sometimes come from an old personal name, with medieval forms such as Bole or Bolle, and in a few cases from place-names or house signs. The word itself is the everyday English word for a male bovine, ultimately from Old English.

History

Medieval records and later surname dictionaries show Bull as an early English surname, and it also appears as a sign name and heraldic charge. Writers such as Lower and Bardsley treated it as a very natural nickname, while noting that not every bearer must descend from the same source. The name survives widely in Britain and beyond, helped by the long-standing image of the bull in English culture, and by the famous personification "John Bull."

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

Nineteenth-century writers joked that "John Bull" was not especially common in the London directories, even though it became the classic symbol of the Englishman.

Related surnames