Find out how popular the last name Bolder is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bolder.

Bolder, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bolder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bolder in America

Bolder is the 81458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bolder surname appeared 232 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bolder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bolder to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bolder

The surname Bolder originated in Germany during the late Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "bolder," which means "bold" or "daring." The earliest known record of this surname dates back to 1289 in the town of Heidelberg.

Bolder was initially an occupation-based surname given to individuals who displayed characteristics of boldness and courage, often associated with warriors or soldiers. As surnames became more widespread in medieval Germany, this name may have been adopted by those engaged in military service or other occupations that required bravery and fearlessness.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various historical records across the German states, including the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, which contained documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. One notable individual bearing this surname was Hans Bolder, a prominent merchant from Nuremberg who lived from 1435 to 1498.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bolder family spread throughout central and southern Germany, with some members migrating to neighboring regions like Austria and Switzerland. In 1612, a record from the town of Freiburg im Breisgau mentions a Andreas Bolder, who worked as a blacksmith.

As the centuries passed, the spelling of the surname evolved with regional variations, such as Bolter, Bolther, and Boldher, reflecting the fluid nature of surnames during that era. One notable figure from this period was Johann Christoph Bolder (1680-1744), a German composer and organist from Saxony.

In the 19th century, the Bolder surname gained recognition with the birth of Carl Bolder (1825-1899), a German artist and professor of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Another prominent individual was Otto Bolder (1866-1942), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and Hamburg.

As the surname spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and exploration. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bolder was Johann Bolder, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 from the Palatinate region of Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bolder

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bolder.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bolder was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bolder has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bolder was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bolder, please contact us.

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