Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à la fasce ondée d'azur, surm. d'un annelet du même.”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Bully family of France.
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“D'or à la fasce ondée d'azur, surm. d'un annelet du même.”
The Bully arms were recorded in Forez, c. 1663.
Forez was a small upland county in central France, thick with minor gentry holding modest estates. Its families were more numerous than wealthy, and even a small holding was enough for a shield of one's own.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
In France, a coat of arms was a mark of honor that passed down through the male line to all legitimate descendants. Families often used the same shield without changes to show their shared heritage. If a branch wanted to stand out, they could add a small mark to their shield to show their specific place in the family tree.
The family name Bully finds its historical roots in the region of Forez, France, where records confirm members of the family were established by 1663. During this period, the Forez area was a landscape defined by its rolling hills and a strong connection to the land, which likely shaped the daily lives of the family. The name itself is thought to be locative, meaning it was originally used to identify people who lived near or originated from a specific place called Bully. In the seventeenth century, families in this region were often deeply integrated into the local agricultural or artisanal economy. By settling in Forez, the early members of the Bully family became part of a long-standing provincial tradition that valued community ties and local identity. Their presence in the historical record during the mid-1600s suggests they were well-rooted in the social fabric of the French countryside long before the modern era.
A Gallo-Roman estate or settlement belonging to a person named Bullius.
