2000
#56,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Bolhuis
A Dutch surname derived from a farmhouse name, likely referring to someone who lived in such a house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 467 Americans carry the last name Bolhuis. That puts it at #54,637 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 733,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolhuis 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
467
1 in 733,949
Census rank
#54,637
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
407
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 407 bearers of the surname Bolhuis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54637th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolhuis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bolhuis
The surname Bolhuis originated in the Netherlands, first appearing in historical records during the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "boll" meaning "round" and "huis" meaning "house," potentially referring to a round or cylindrical building structure. The earliest recorded spelling variations include Bolhuyss, Bollhuys, and Boolhuys.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Willem Bolhuis, born in 1587 in Groningen, a city in the northern Netherlands. Historical records show that he was a merchant and landowner in the region. Another early reference can be found in the Leiden City Archives, which mentions a Pieter Bolhuis who was a citizen of Leiden in 1612.
During the 17th century, the Bolhuis name appeared in various Dutch municipalities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. Notably, in 1643, a Dirck Bolhuis was recorded as a member of the Dutch East India Company, which played a significant role in the Dutch colonial empire.
In the 18th century, the Bolhuis family continued to establish itself in various Dutch cities. Jan Bolhuis (1718-1793) was a renowned painter from Groningen, known for his landscapes and seascapes. Another notable figure was Gerrit Bolhuis (1745-1818), a merchant and politician who served as a member of the Vroedschap (City Council) in Rotterdam.
As the 19th century dawned, the Bolhuis name spread further across the Netherlands and beyond. Hendrik Bolhuis (1808-1879) was a Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam, including the Paleis voor Volksvlijt (Palace of Popular Industry). Across the Atlantic, Johannes Bolhuis (1856-1928) emigrated from the Netherlands to the United States, where he became a successful farmer in Iowa.
Throughout the 20th century, the Bolhuis surname continued to be represented in various fields. Pieter Bolhuis (1901-1983) was a Dutch politician and member of the House of Representatives, while Gerrit Bolhuis (1923-2010) was a prominent theologian and professor at the University of Groningen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolhuis
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolhuis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolhuis 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 Bolhuis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 387
- Two or more races2.9% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 4
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolhuis
Bolhuis 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
#53,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 387
+49 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 3,107 places
2020
#54,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 407
+20 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 1,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #56,526 | 338 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,419 | 387 | 0.13 | +49 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 3,107 places |
| 2020 | #54,637 | 407 | 0.14 | +20 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 1,218 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 Bolhuis 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 | #53,419 | #54,637 | -2.3% |
| Count | 387 | 407 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolhuis bearers went from 387 to 407 (+5.2% change). The surname moved down 1,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,419 to #54,637.
FAQ
Bolhuis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolhuis?
Name Census estimates that about 467 living Americans carry the surname Bolhuis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 733,949 residents.
How common is Bolhuis?
Bolhuis ranks #54,637 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 407 people with the surname Bolhuis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Bolhuis.
Has Bolhuis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolhuis went from 387 recorded bearers to 407. That is an increase of 20 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #53,419 to #54,637.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolhuis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolhuis, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Bolhuis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (387 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolhuis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Bolhuis (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 Bolhuis mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a farmhouse name, likely referring to someone who lived in such a house. 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 Bolhuis (0.14 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 surname Bolhuis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.