Bolis last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bolis

A locative surname derived from a place name in Italy.

Bolis, 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 Bolis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bolis in America

Bolis is the 70208th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bolis surname appeared 279 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bolis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bolis 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank702086314110.60%
Count279296-5.91%
Proportion per 100k0.090.11-20.00%

The history of the last name Bolis

The surname BOLIS is thought to have originated in Italy, likely emerging in the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Italian word "bolla," meaning a seal or stamp, suggesting that early bearers of this name may have been involved in official documentation or administrative work.

One of the earliest known records of the name BOLIS dates back to the late 15th century, where a Girolamo BOLIS is mentioned in a document from the city of Venice. This indicates that the name was present in the Venetian region during the Renaissance period.

In the 16th century, the name BOLIS appears in various historical records across northern Italy, particularly in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto. For instance, a Giovanni BOLIS is recorded as a merchant in Milan in the 1540s, while a Filippo BOLIS is listed as a landowner in the town of Verona in the 1570s.

The name BOLIS has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Bartolomeo BOLIS, a 16th-century Italian painter from Cremona, known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches in his hometown.

In the 17th century, the BOLIS surname gained prominence with the birth of Giovanni Battista BOLIS (1604-1683), a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer from Milan. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and served as a professor at the University of Pavia.

Another notable bearer of the BOLIS name was Antonio BOLIS (1732-1802), an Italian architect and engineer from Brescia. He is best known for his work on the restoration and renovation of several churches and public buildings in his native city.

During the 19th century, the BOLIS family produced several prominent figures, including Giovan Battista BOLIS (1820-1894), an Italian composer and conductor who composed operas and sacred music. He was also the director of the Milan Conservatory for several years.

It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the BOLIS surname, such as BOLLI or BOLLI, have also been documented in historical records, particularly in the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.

While the BOLIS name has been present throughout Italian history, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world, likely due to emigration and the widespread diaspora of Italian families over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bolis

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

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 Bolis was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only89.96%251
Non-Hispanic Black Only2.15%6
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only3.23%9
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races2.15%6
Hispanic Origin2.51%7

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 Bolis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White89.96%88.85%1.24%
Black2.15%2.70%-22.68%
Asian and Pacific Islander3.23%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races2.15%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic2.51%6.42%-87.57%

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

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

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