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

Boles, 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 Boles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boles in America

Boles is the 2426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boles surname appeared 14,946 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Boles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boles 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 Boles

The surname Boles has its origins in England, with the earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old English word "boll," which referred to a round or spherical object, such as a bowl or a bell-shaped vessel.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it is listed as "Bolle." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was associated with bowls or a similar round object.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings, including "Bole," "Bolle," and "Bolles," in records from counties such as Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. This indicates that the name was well-established in these regions during this period.

The Boles surname is also found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name may have been present in England even before the Norman Conquest.

One notable figure in history with the surname Boles was John Boles, a 15th-century English scholar and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1454 to 1459.

Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Boles, a 16th-century English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1558 and 1559.

In the 17th century, the surname Boles was associated with several place names, including Boles Green in Gloucestershire and Boles Farm in Oxfordshire. These place names may have derived from the surname or vice versa, further solidifying the name's ties to these regions.

One notable figure from this period was Thomas Boles, a 17th-century English theologian and author who wrote several works on religious subjects, including "The Spiritual Guide" and "The Summe of the Christian Religion."

In the 18th century, the Boles surname continued to be prominent in England, with individuals such as John Boles (1688-1757), a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, and William Boles (1715-1789), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.

Throughout the 19th century, the Boles surname spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of emigration from England. One notable individual from this period was Edward Boles (1805-1876), a Canadian politician who served as the Premier of New Brunswick from 1870 to 1872.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boles

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

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 Boles 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 Boles 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 Boles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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