2000
#13,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Boller
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of round loaves of bread or buns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,297 Americans carry the last name Boller. That puts it at #14,366 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,218 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Boller 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Boller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,218
Census rank
#14,366
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,003 bearers of the surname Boller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14366th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Boller, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Boller
The surname Boller has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Bolle," which means "bowl" or "round object." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a bowl maker or in a related craft.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Boller can be found in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Cologne, Germany, from the year 1292. These records mention a person named Hermannus Boller, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
Throughout the medieval period, the Boller name appeared in various other historical records across different regions of Germany. For example, in the 14th century, a certain Johannes Boller was mentioned in the records of the city of Nuremberg.
In the 16th century, the name Boller was associated with a prominent family from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. This family played a significant role in the town's history and was involved in various trades and professions.
One notable individual with the surname Boller was Johann Boller, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1548 to 1594. He was known for his intricate engravings and woodcuts, many of which depicted religious and allegorical scenes.
Another noteworthy figure was Johann Philipp Boller, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1677 to 1743. He served as a professor of law at the University of Heidelberg and authored several influential works on legal theory and practice.
In the 18th century, a certain Johann Georg Boller (1720-1788) gained recognition as a German clockmaker and inventor. He is credited with developing several innovations in the field of timekeeping and contributed to the advancement of clock-making technology.
The name Boller has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Bollershausen and Bollerwalde, further indicating its geographic origins and distribution.
As the Boller surname spread across different regions of Germany and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, including Bohlert, Böller, and Böllermeyer, reflecting the diversity of local dialects and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Boller
Among Census respondents with the surname Boller, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Boller 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 Boller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 1,719
- Black or African American7.1% · 142
- Two or more races3.1% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Boller
Boller 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
#13,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,320
+217 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 123 places
2020
#14,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,003
-317 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,189 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,300 | 2,103 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,177 | 2,320 | 0.79 | +217 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 123 places |
| 2020 | #14,366 | 2,003 | 0.67 | -317 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 1,189 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 Boller 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 | #13,177 | #14,366 | -9.0% |
| Count | 2,320 | 2,003 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.67 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Boller bearers went from 2,320 to 2,003 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 1,189 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,177 to #14,366.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Boller
FAQ
Boller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Boller?
Name Census estimates that about 2,297 living Americans carry the surname Boller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,218 residents.
How common is Boller?
Boller ranks #14,366 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,003 people with the surname Boller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Boller.
Has Boller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Boller went from 2,320 recorded bearers to 2,003. That is a decrease of 317 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,177 to #14,366.
What does the Census say about the background of Boller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Boller, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Boller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (1,719 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Boller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Boller (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 Boller mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of round loaves of bread or buns. 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 Boller (0.67 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 Americans have the surname Boller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.