2000
#2,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Boland
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Beólláin," meaning "descendant of Beóllán" (little mouth).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,799 Americans carry the last name Boland. That puts it at #3,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,780 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boland 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Boland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,780
Census rank
#3,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,161 bearers of the surname Boland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boland
The surname Boland has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Bólann" or "Ó Bóláin," which means "descendant of Bólann" or "descendant of Bóláin." The name is believed to have derived from the Irish word "bóla," meaning "boor" or "rustic."
The Boland family was primarily concentrated in County Wexford, where they were among the most prominent and influential families in the region. The name is also found in County Kilkenny and other parts of Leinster. Some variations of the name include Bolan, Boland, Boulland, and Boullan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boland can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1264, a member of the Boland family named Donnchadh Ó Bólann is mentioned as being involved in a conflict between rival Irish clans.
The Boland family played a significant role in Irish history, particularly during the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. Sir Oliver Boland (c. 1250 - c. 1320) was a prominent member of the family who fought alongside the Norman forces and was later granted lands in County Wexford.
Other notable individuals with the surname Boland include:
1. Patrick Boland (1605 - 1674), an Irish Catholic priest and ecclesiastical writer.
2. John Boland (1670 - 1743), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Parliament.
3. Charles Boland (1768 - 1848), an Irish politician and landowner, who served as Member of Parliament for Wexford.
4. John Boland (1844 - 1917), an Irish-born Australian politician and Premier of Victoria.
5. Harry Boland (1887 - 1922), an Irish republican and close friend of Michael Collins, who played a crucial role in the Irish War of Independence.
The surname Boland is also associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Bolandsborough and Bolands Crossroads in County Wexford, which further highlights the family's historical significance and influence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boland
Among Census respondents with the surname Boland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Boland 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 Boland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 10,099
- Two or more races3.2% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 312
- Black or African American2.3% · 254
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boland
Boland 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
#3,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,631
+270 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.94
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#3,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,161
-470 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 3.73
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,908 | 11,361 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,092 | 11,631 | 3.94 | +270 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #3,153 | 11,161 | 3.73 | -470 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 61 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 Boland 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 | #3,092 | #3,153 | -2.0% |
| Count | 11,631 | 11,161 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.94 | 3.73 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boland bearers went from 11,631 to 11,161 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,092 to #3,153.
FAQ
Boland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boland?
Name Census estimates that about 12,799 living Americans carry the surname Boland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,780 residents.
How common is Boland?
Boland ranks #3,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,161 people with the surname Boland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,799), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Boland.
Has Boland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boland went from 11,631 recorded bearers to 11,161. That is a decrease of 470 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,092 to #3,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Boland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Boland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (10,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Boland (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 Boland mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Beólláin," meaning "descendant of Beóllán" (little mouth). 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 Boland (3.73 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 surname Boland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.