2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bolfing
A habitational surname derived from a placename, possibly indicating origins in a location with that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Bolfing. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolfing 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Bolfing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolfing, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bolfing
The surname Bolfing is believed to have originated in England, likely during the Anglo-Saxon period between the 5th and 11th centuries. It is thought to derive from an Old English personal name, Bealdwine, which means "bold friend" or "brave friend."
Over time, the name underwent various spelling changes and regional variations, leading to forms such as Baldwine, Baulding, and eventually, Bolfing. These changes were common as names were often recorded phonetically by scribes, resulting in different spellings based on regional accents and dialects.
One of the earliest known references to a variation of this surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records a landowner named Baldwinus in Oxfordshire. This document provides valuable insight into the distribution of surnames in England shortly after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, records show a John Bolfing as a resident of Cambridgeshire. Another notable individual was Sir Thomas Bolfing, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century.
During the 16th century, the name Bolfing appeared in various parish records and tax rolls in counties such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire, indicating the surname's presence in different regions of England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Bolfing surname was Robert Bolfing, who was born in 1542 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. He served as a merchant and was a prominent figure in the local community.
Another notable individual was Sir William Bolfing (1608-1683), a member of the English gentry and a landowner in Gloucestershire. He played an active role in local politics and served as a Justice of the Peace.
In the 18th century, John Bolfing (1725-1792) was a successful merchant and trader based in Bristol, known for his involvement in the transatlantic trade with the American colonies.
During the 19th century, the Bolfing surname gained recognition through the works of the writer and poet, Elizabeth Bolfing (1830-1904), whose poems and novels explored themes of love, nature, and social commentary.
While the Bolfing surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by those who emigrated from Britain over the centuries. However, the name remains relatively uncommon, particularly in its original spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolfing
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolfing, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolfing 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 Bolfing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolfing
Bolfing 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,609 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,609 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,218 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 Bolfing 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 | #139,228 | #149,446 | -7.3% |
| Count | 120 | 110 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolfing bearers went from 120 to 110 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #149,446.
FAQ
Bolfing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolfing?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Bolfing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Bolfing?
Bolfing ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Bolfing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bolfing.
Has Bolfing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolfing went from 120 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolfing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolfing, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bolfing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolfing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bolfing (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 Bolfing mean?
A habitational surname derived from a placename, possibly indicating origins in a location with that name. 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 Bolfing (0.04 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 Bolfing?
Find out how many people have the surname Bolfing on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.