2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Boillat
A French surname likely derived from the word "bouillant" meaning "boiling" or "bubbling".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Boillat. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boillat surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Boillat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boillat, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boillat
The surname Boillat originates from the Jura region of Switzerland, dating back to the early 16th century. It is derived from the Old French word "boillat," which means "a small stream" or "a brook." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a small body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boillat can be found in the church records of the village of Les Bois in the Canton of Jura, where a family by the name of Boillat is mentioned in the year 1537. The name was also prevalent in the nearby villages of Courchapoix and Montfaucon during the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the 18th century, the name Boillat appeared in various historical records and documents from the Jura region. For example, Jean-Pierre Boillat (1714-1791) was a notable watchmaker from the village of Les Bois, who was renowned for his innovative techniques in watchmaking.
The Boillat family also played a significant role in the cheese-making industry of the Jura region during the 19th century. One of the most famous names in this regard was Henri Boillat (1832-1901), who was a renowned cheesemaker and established a successful cheese factory in the village of Lajoux.
Another notable figure with the surname Boillat was Eugène Boillat (1862-1934), a Swiss sculptor and artist who was born in the village of Les Bois. His works can be found in various museums and public spaces throughout Switzerland.
In the 20th century, the name Boillat gained recognition in the field of literature with the Swiss writer and poet, Georges Boillat (1910-1975). He was born in the village of Les Bois and wrote several novels and poetry collections that explored the themes of rural life and the Jura landscape.
Over the centuries, the surname Boillat has also been associated with various place names in the Jura region, such as the hamlet of Les Boillats near Courchapoix, and the Boillat Creek, a small stream that flows through the village of Les Bois.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boillat
Among Census respondents with the surname Boillat, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Boillat bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Boillat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boillat
Boillat appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+34 bearers (+30.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 18,598 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-30 bearers (-20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,085 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | +34 bearers (+30.1%) | Up 18,598 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-20.4%) | Down 26,085 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Boillat surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #118,185 | #144,270 | -22.1% |
| Count | 147 | 117 | -20.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boillat bearers went from 147 to 117 (-20.4% change). The surname moved down 26,085 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #144,270.
FAQ
Boillat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boillat?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Boillat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Boillat?
Boillat ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Boillat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Boillat.
Has Boillat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boillat went from 147 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 30 (-20.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,185 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Boillat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boillat, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Boillat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boillat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Boillat (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Boillat mean?
A French surname likely derived from the word "bouillant" meaning "boiling" or "bubbling". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Boillat (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Boillat?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Boillat on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.