2000
#6,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.94
Rare Last name
Bolduc
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the marsh" or "the bog."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,841 Americans carry the last name Bolduc. That puts it at #6,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolduc 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
5.8K
1 in 58,681
Census rank
#6,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,094 bearers of the surname Bolduc in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolduc, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bolduc
The surname Bolduc originated in France, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "bouleau," meaning "birch tree." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near a birch forest or worked with birch wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bolduc name appears in the Parisian tax rolls of 1592, where a Jean Bolduc is listed as a merchant. Another early reference is found in the parish records of Saint-Malo, Brittany, where a marriage between Pierre Bolduc and Marguerite Leroy is documented in 1621.
In the 17th century, the Bolduc name spread across various regions of France, including Normandy, Picardy, and Burgundy. During this period, the name also appeared in various spellings, such as Boulduc, Bouduc, and Boulduc, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography.
One notable individual with the Bolduc surname was Jacques Bolduc (1633-1716), a French painter and engraver who was born in Arles, Provence. His works were exhibited at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris, and he is remembered for his portraits and religious paintings.
The Bolduc name also found its way to New France (modern-day Quebec, Canada) during the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded Bolducs in Canada was François Bolduc (1642-1707), who arrived in Quebec City in 1669 and later settled in Île d'Orléans, where he worked as a farmer.
Another notable figure was Louis Bolduc (1805-1866), a Canadian politician and lawyer from Quebec City. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and played a significant role in the debates surrounding the establishment of responsible government in Canada.
In the 19th century, the Bolduc surname was well-established in various parts of Canada, particularly in Quebec and Ontario. One prominent individual was Henri Bolduc (1863-1944), a Canadian lawyer and judge who served as a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec.
Throughout history, the Bolduc surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, politicians, lawyers, and farmers. While its origins can be traced back to France, the name has left an indelible mark across multiple regions and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolduc
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolduc, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolduc 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 Bolduc surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 4,709
- Two or more races3.8% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
- Black or African American0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolduc
Bolduc 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
#6,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,401
+172 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.83
Rank movement Down 270 places
2020
#6,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,094
-307 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,051 | 5,229 | 1.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,321 | 5,401 | 1.83 | +172 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 270 places |
| 2020 | #6,417 | 5,094 | 1.70 | -307 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 96 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 Bolduc 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 | #6,321 | #6,417 | -1.5% |
| Count | 5,401 | 5,094 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.83 | 1.70 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolduc bearers went from 5,401 to 5,094 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,321 to #6,417.
FAQ
Bolduc surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolduc?
Name Census estimates that about 5,841 living Americans carry the surname Bolduc. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,681 residents.
How common is Bolduc?
Bolduc ranks #6,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,094 people with the surname Bolduc. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,841), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bolduc.
Has Bolduc become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolduc went from 5,401 recorded bearers to 5,094. That is a decrease of 307 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,321 to #6,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolduc?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolduc, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Bolduc in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (4,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolduc appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Bolduc (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 Bolduc mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the marsh" or "the bog." 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 Bolduc (1.70 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 last name Bolduc?
If you just want to know how common the surname Bolduc is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.