Bille History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Bille

What does the name Bille mean?

The ancient name of Bille finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a maker of polearms or halberds and billhooks as these were common weapons in early times. The name could also be a baptismal name derived from son of William, although this latter origin is less likely.

Early Origins of the Bille family

The surname Bille was first found in Somerset, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early records of the name mention Walter Nicholas Bile who was documented in the year 1185 in London and Robert atte Byle appears in 1327 in County Surrey. 1

William Byle of County Somerset, was documented during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) 2 and Thomas Biles of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. 3

Early History of the Bille family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bille research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1500, 1501, 1505, 1533, 1535, 1547, 1548, 1551, 1553, 1558, 1560, 1561, 1667 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bille History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bille Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Bille family name include Bill, Bills, Billes and others.

Early Notables of the Bille family

Distinguished members of the family include William Bill (d. 1501), Dean of Westminster, son of John Bill of Ashwell, Hertfordshire, and brother of Thomas Bill, M.D., of the same place, and of St. Bartholomew's, London, physician to Henry VIII. He was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bille Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bille Ranking

In France, the name Bille is the 7,909^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Bille family to Ireland

Some of the Bille family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bille migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Bille surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Bille Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Bille, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1850 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Bille (post 1700) +

Henry S. Bille, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 6 aerial victories
Bille August (b. 1948), Danish film director

The Bille Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Omne solum patria
Motto Translation: Every land is a man's country.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)