de Bullion

This is a variant form of the ancient Anglicized French name Bullen, the most famous variant being Bulleyn or Boleyn as dramatised by Anne Boleyn. The name is locational in origin, and describes a former inhabitant of the town of Boulogne, several such nameholders being associated with William 1 (The Conqueror) in 1066. The surname is found in France as De Boulon or De Boulogne, and it is probable that de Bullion is a Huguenot introduction in the 17th Century, rather than the earlier Norman form, but this is conjecture. The name is found in a variety of spellings at this time including Bulloin, Bulliene, Bulan and the patronymic Bullions. The first proven recording as a surname in England is that of Helias de Bolonia in the Rolls of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1121, and Richard de Boloygne in the 1255 rolls known as the Feet of Fines, in Essex. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Joseph Bullion, which was dated September 2nd 1701, a witness at Allhallows, London, Wall, London, during the reign of King William 111 of Orange and England, 1689 - 1702. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.