2000
#13,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,978
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Boler
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "boule," meaning "ball" or "round."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,420 Americans carry the last name Boler. That puts it at #13,739 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boler 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 Boler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,634
Census rank
#13,739
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,110 bearers of the surname Boler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13739th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boler, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boler
The surname Boler has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bola," which referred to a small rounded hill or mound. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near or on such a geographic feature.
In the early 14th century, records show the name spelled as "Bolare" and "Bolour" in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a William Bolare is listed as a taxpayer.
The Boler surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Bolehill in Derbyshire and Bolebrook in Nottinghamshire. These locations may have contributed to the development and spread of the name throughout the region.
Notable individuals bearing the Boler surname include:
1. John Boler (c. 1470-1537), an English churchman who served as the Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1492 until his execution by King Henry VIII in 1537 for refusing to surrender the abbey's lands and wealth.
2. William Boler (1578-1636), a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London. He was also a benefactor to the town of Ipswich, where he funded the construction of almshouses for the poor.
3. Elizabeth Boler (c. 1610-1670), a well-known Puritan writer and poet from Gloucestershire. Her published works include "A Collection of Spiritual Hymns" (1641) and "The Christian's Solace" (1648).
4. Thomas Boler (1722-1798), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He was appointed as the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland in 1786 and held that position until his death.
5. Sarah Boler (1825-1892), an English philanthropist and social reformer from Manchester. She was instrumental in establishing several organizations dedicated to improving the lives of working-class women and children in the city.
The Boler surname has endured through the centuries and continues to be found in various parts of the world, reflecting its English origins and the migration patterns of those who bore this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boler
Among Census respondents with the surname Boler, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Boler 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 Boler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.0% · 971
- Black or African American45.4% · 957
- Two or more races4.4% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boler
Boler 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
#13,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,234
+256 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 422 places
2020
#13,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
-124 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,994 | 1,978 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,572 | 2,234 | 0.76 | +256 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 422 places |
| 2020 | #13,739 | 2,110 | 0.71 | -124 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 167 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 Boler 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 | #13,572 | #13,739 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,234 | 2,110 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.71 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boler bearers went from 2,234 to 2,110 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,572 to #13,739.
FAQ
Boler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,420 living Americans carry the surname Boler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,634 residents.
How common is Boler?
Boler ranks #13,739 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,110 people with the surname Boler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,420), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Boler.
Has Boler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boler went from 2,234 recorded bearers to 2,110. That is a decrease of 124 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,572 to #13,739.
What does the Census say about the background of Boler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boler, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Black (45.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Boler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (971 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.0%), Black (45.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Boler (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 Boler mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "boule," meaning "ball" or "round." 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 Boler (0.71 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 Boler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.