Bullivant origins your opinion please

[duckweed]

I have seen the Bullivant name in  Flanders and the Loire Valley. I also saw the name de Bullevant in France. Is it mainly a Flemish name or a French name. Also has anyone heard of a Flemish armourer in 17th century called Bullivant?

[XPhile2868]

This most interesting surname is of Old French origin deriving from a nickname for a particularly good or used child as a term of endearment, from the Old French elements "bon enfant", good infant. This term was probably introduced into England in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066. In the modern idiom the surname is also found as Bonifant and Bonafont. The surname itself is first recorded in the early 13th Century (see below) and one Henry Bonefant was recorded in 1279 in the Hundred Rolls of Berkshire. John Bon Effaunt was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332 and Roger Bonyfaunt was mentioned in the Calendar of letter Books of the city of London" in 1472. William Bonyvant was recorded in 1540 in the "Index of Wills proved in the Rochester Consistory Court". Ann, daughter of Olyver Bolyvent was christened on October 25th 1640 at St. John's, Hackney, London. A Coat of Arms granted to a Bullivant family which depicts a black tower on a ermine shield, and three gold fleurs-de-lis on a red chief. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Bonefant, Bonenfand, which was dated 1207, The Curia Rolls of Oxfordshire, during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199-1216. 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.

http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Bullivant


Stephen

[duckweed]

I wasn't asking about what the name meant which I would argue with. i was asking about place of origin. Someone who had the name de Bullivant doesn't make sense if it meant Bon enfant, far more likely a place like de Busli which came Bully (place was Boulogne) which was also from a place name. I know there are versions of the Bullivant name on the French Spanish border being Bollevant and Bollivar. My french phamacist recognised it as a French name so I was wondering if it was a common name in some parts of France and which parts they would be. 

[jorose]

http://www.geopatronyme.com/ doesn't show "Bullivant", "Bullevant" etc (statistics of surname locations from births 1891-1990)
http://www.familienaam.be/ shows one Bullivant

Certainly when it comes to the French who were early emigrants to Canada, you have "dit" names.
e.g. surnames like Robert dit Le Breton (became simply "Le Breton") - this family came from Bretagne.

[duckweed]

Thanks for that. What useful sites. This is puzzling because the French based genealogy site has found me quite a few French families and even more Belgium ones. Spellings vary a bit but not so much they are unrecognisable. The Bull part is sometimes Boll sometimes Boule. Mind you when I first started searching the Bullivant surname in Sheffield the local family history site said the name only appeared there in 1880s. The name in fact goes back to 1490! I have been told that the name was Hugenot and there may have been Hugenots with that name who came over but there were definitely Bullivants earlier than then. I wondered if they were weavers and armourers as the area I've been told the most come from is Flemish. I know of an armourer to the Earl of Shrewsbury called Bullivant and know Flemish armourers were popular. But no evidence to go on for that theory as yet.