2000
#1,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,015
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.42
Uncommon Last name
Bolden
A surname of English origin, referring to a person with a bold or courageous personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,782 Americans carry the last name Bolden. That puts it at #1,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolden 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 Bolden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,412
Census rank
#1,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,739 bearers of the surname Bolden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bolden
The surname Bolden has its origins in England, and it likely dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "boll" and "dun," which together mean "hill with a rounded top." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived near such a hill or on a particular rounded hilltop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bolden can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a place called "Boledone" in Lancashire, which is likely related to the surname Bolden.
During the Middle Ages, the name Bolden was primarily concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire. This is consistent with the name's probable Old English origins, as these regions were heavily influenced by the Angle and Saxon settlers who brought their language and naming traditions with them.
In the 13th century, a man named William de Bolden was recorded as holding lands in Lancashire. This is one of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Bolden. Another notable figure from this era was Sir Richard de Bolden, who lived during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century and was a knight and landowner in Yorkshire.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Bolden was Benjamin Bolden (1737-1816), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge from 1778 until his death. He was renowned for his expertise in biblical languages and his contributions to the study of Hebrew literature.
Another significant figure was Sarah Bolden (1846-1925), a British educator and activist who campaigned for women's rights and access to higher education. She played a pivotal role in the establishment of Girton College, one of the first residential colleges for women at the University of Cambridge.
In the United States, one notable individual with the surname Bolden was Buddy Bolden (1877-1931), a legendary cornet player and bandleader from New Orleans who is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of jazz music. His innovative style and influence on the development of jazz in the early 20th century have been widely recognized.
The surname Bolden has also been associated with several literary figures, including English writer and critic Graham Bolden (1904-1976), who was known for his works on literary criticism and his translations of French literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolden
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolden 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 Bolden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American70.0% · 14,509
- White20.3% · 4,210
- Two or more races5.8% · 1,195
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 689
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolden
Bolden 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
#1,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,819
+1,804 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 7.40
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#1,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,739
-1,080 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 6.94
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,638 | 20,015 | 7.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,649 | 21,819 | 7.40 | +1,804 bearers (+9.0%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #1,692 | 20,739 | 6.94 | -1,080 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 43 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 Bolden 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 | #1,649 | #1,692 | -2.6% |
| Count | 21,819 | 20,739 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 7.40 | 6.94 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolden bearers went from 21,819 to 20,739 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,649 to #1,692.
FAQ
Bolden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolden?
Name Census estimates that about 23,782 living Americans carry the surname Bolden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,412 residents.
How common is Bolden?
Bolden ranks #1,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,739 people with the surname Bolden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Bolden.
Has Bolden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolden went from 21,819 recorded bearers to 20,739. That is a decrease of 1,080 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,649 to #1,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.0%. The next largest groups are White (20.3%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bolden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.0% (14,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (70.0%), White (20.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Bolden (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 Bolden mean?
A surname of English origin, referring to a person with a bold or courageous personality. 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 Bolden (6.94 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 share the surname Bolden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.