John Bull
Preserved but no longer current.
The national nickname for an Englishman, represented as a bluff, kind- hearted, bull-headed farmer. The character is from Dr. John Arbuthnof s satire The History of John Bull, which was originally published in 1712 as Law in a Bottomless Pit. "John Bull" is the Englishman, the Frenchman is termed Lewis Baboon, the Dutchman Nicholas Frog, etc.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “John Bull” mean?
The national nickname for an Englishman, represented as a bluff, kind- hearted, bull-headed farmer. The character is from Dr. John Arbuthnof s satire The History of John Bull, which was originally published in 1712 as Law in a Bottomless Pit. "John Bull" is the Englishman, the Frenchman is termed Lewis Baboon, the Dutchman Nicholas Frog, etc.
Is “John Bull” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.