2000
#7,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Boldt
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "bold," meaning "daring" or "brave."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,902 Americans carry the last name Boldt. That puts it at #7,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boldt 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
4.9K
1 in 69,921
Census rank
#7,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,275 bearers of the surname Boldt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boldt
The surname Boldt is of German origin and has its roots in the medieval era. It is derived from the German word "balt," which means "bold" or "brave." This name was initially given as a nickname to someone who displayed courage or boldness in their actions or demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boldt can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The name appeared as "Boldus" in this manuscript, indicating its early use in the region.
The Boldt surname gained prominence in the 14th and 15th centuries, particularly in the northern German regions of Holstein and Mecklenburg. During this period, the name was often associated with families of noble or military backgrounds, reflecting the bold and courageous qualities attributed to its bearers.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Boldt surname, one can mention Johann Boldt (1588-1668), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Another noteworthy figure was Friedrich Boldt (1793-1876), a Prussian military officer who participated in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned military strategist.
In the 16th century, the name Boldt was also found in various records from the city of Hamburg, where it was sometimes spelled as "Boldth" or "Bolthe." One prominent Hamburger with this surname was Hans Boldt (1526-1592), a successful merchant and alderman who played a significant role in the city's trade and governance.
As the name spread across Germany and beyond, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as "Bolt" or "Bolte." One notable bearer of this variant was Johann Friedrich Bolt (1769-1836), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant species in the Cape Colony of South Africa.
Another remarkable individual was Georg Boldt (1835-1909), a German-American hotelier and entrepreneur who owned and managed several prestigious hotels, including the iconic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. His surname, spelled "Boldt," is a testament to the enduring legacy of this family name in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boldt
Among Census respondents with the surname Boldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Boldt 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 Boldt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,961
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 128
- Two or more races2.8% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boldt
Boldt 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
#7,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,538
+196 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 245 places
2020
#7,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,275
-263 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,099 | 4,342 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,344 | 4,538 | 1.54 | +196 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 245 places |
| 2020 | #7,514 | 4,275 | 1.43 | -263 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 170 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 Boldt 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 | #7,344 | #7,514 | -2.3% |
| Count | 4,538 | 4,275 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.43 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boldt bearers went from 4,538 to 4,275 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,344 to #7,514.
FAQ
Boldt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boldt?
Name Census estimates that about 4,902 living Americans carry the surname Boldt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,921 residents.
How common is Boldt?
Boldt ranks #7,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,275 people with the surname Boldt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,902), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Boldt.
Has Boldt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boldt went from 4,538 recorded bearers to 4,275. That is a decrease of 263 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,344 to #7,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Boldt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Boldt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,961 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boldt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Boldt (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 Boldt mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "bold," meaning "daring" or "brave." 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 Boldt (1.43 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 common is the surname Boldt?
If you just want to know how common the surname Boldt is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.