2010
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bolainez
A Basque surname likely meaning "of the mill" or "from the mill town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 193 Americans carry the last name Bolainez. That puts it at #111,467 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,775,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolainez 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
193
1 in 1,775,929
Census rank
#111,467
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
168
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 168 bearers of the surname Bolainez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111467th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolainez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bolainez
The surname Bolainez has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "bola," which means ball, and the suffix "inez," which denotes lineage or belonging. The name may have been given to someone who lived near a ball-shaped landmark or worked in an occupation related to balls.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bolainez can be found in the archives of the town of Soria, where a certain Juan Bolainez was mentioned in a land transaction document dated 1487. It is possible that the family originated from this region in northern Spain.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the city of Salamanca, where a prominent family of scholars and academics bearing the Bolainez surname resided. Pedro Bolainez (1525-1592) was a renowned professor of theology at the University of Salamanca, and his nephew, Diego Bolainez (1560-1628), followed in his footsteps as a respected academic and author.
The Bolainez name also has a connection to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the late 16th century, a soldier named Alonso Bolainez (1562-1618) accompanied the conquistadors to the New World and participated in the conquest of Mexico. He later settled in the region and established a family line.
During the 17th century, the Bolainez surname spread across Spain and its territories. Notably, Francisco Bolainez (1612-1680) was a celebrated painter from Seville, known for his religious works adorning churches throughout Andalusia.
Another notable figure was Juana Bolainez (1670-1732), a renowned poet and playwright from Madrid, whose works were widely acclaimed in her lifetime and contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
Throughout the centuries, the Bolainez surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, academics, soldiers, and nobility. While the name's exact origins may be shrouded in history, its presence across Spain and its former colonies attests to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolainez
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolainez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolainez 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 Bolainez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino97.0% · 163
- White1.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolainez
Bolainez appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#111,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
+35 bearers (+26.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 16,782 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #111,467 | 168 | 0.06 | +35 bearers (+26.3%) | Up 16,782 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 Bolainez 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 | #128,249 | #111,467 | 13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 168 | 26.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolainez bearers went from 133 to 168 (+26.3% change). The surname moved up 16,782 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #111,467.
FAQ
Bolainez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolainez?
Name Census estimates that about 193 living Americans carry the surname Bolainez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,775,929 residents.
How common is Bolainez?
Bolainez ranks #111,467 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 168 people with the surname Bolainez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (193), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Bolainez.
Has Bolainez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolainez went from 133 recorded bearers to 168. That is an increase of 35 (+26.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #128,249 to #111,467.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolainez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolainez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 97.0%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bolainez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (163 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolainez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (97.0%), White (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Bolainez (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 Bolainez mean?
A Basque surname likely meaning "of the mill" or "from the mill town". 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 Bolainez (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Bolainez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.