2000
#4,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.72
Rare Last name
Boling
Derived from a place name meaning "dwelling by a rounded hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,096 Americans carry the last name Boling. That puts it at #4,849 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,336 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boling 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
8.1K
1 in 42,336
Census rank
#4,849
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,060 bearers of the surname Boling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4849th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boling, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boling
The surname Boling is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to England in the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to someone who lived in or near a hamlet called Bolling or Bolton. These place names are derived from the Old English words "bold" meaning "dwelling" and "ing" meaning "people of."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boling can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Bolinc." This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century. Over time, various spellings emerged, such as Bolling, Boulding, and Bowling, reflecting regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of early surname spellings.
During the 13th century, the surname Boling appeared in several historical records. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name was documented as "William de Bolynge" from Lincolnshire. Additionally, a Richard Bollyng was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1281.
Notable individuals with the surname Boling include Sir John Boling (c. 1435-1499), a prominent English knight who served as Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire during the reign of Henry VII. Another figure of note is Robert Boling (1607-1660), an English clergyman and scholar who was appointed as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford in 1637.
In the 18th century, the name Boling gained recognition through the playwright and dramatist Richard Bolingbroke (1732-1786), whose works were performed at various London theatres. Meanwhile, in the realm of science, John Boling (1763-1826) made significant contributions as a British botanist and horticulturist, publishing several works on plant cultivation.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Boling became associated with the American frontier through the exploits of Reuben Boling (1783-1844), a pioneer and frontiersman who played a crucial role in the settlement of Kentucky and Tennessee.
Throughout its history, the surname Boling has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, spanning fields such as politics, religion, literature, and exploration. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse journeys and stories of those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boling
Among Census respondents with the surname Boling, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Boling 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 Boling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 6,193
- Two or more races4.3% · 307
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 245
- Black or African American2.8% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boling
Boling 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
#4,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,597
+259 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 215 places
2020
#4,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,060
-537 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,454 | 7,338 | 2.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,669 | 7,597 | 2.58 | +259 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 215 places |
| 2020 | #4,849 | 7,060 | 2.36 | -537 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 180 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 Boling 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 | #4,669 | #4,849 | -3.9% |
| Count | 7,597 | 7,060 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.58 | 2.36 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boling bearers went from 7,597 to 7,060 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 180 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,669 to #4,849.
FAQ
Boling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boling?
Name Census estimates that about 8,096 living Americans carry the surname Boling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,336 residents.
How common is Boling?
Boling ranks #4,849 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.36 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 7,060 people with the surname Boling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,096), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.36 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 Boling.
Has Boling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boling went from 7,597 recorded bearers to 7,060. That is a decrease of 537 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,669 to #4,849.
What does the Census say about the background of Boling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boling, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Boling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (6,193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Boling (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 Boling mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dwelling by a rounded hill" in Old English. 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 Boling (2.36 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 Boling?
Want to know how many people are called Boling? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.