2000
#2,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.52
Uncommon Last name
Bollinger
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived near a grove of poplar trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,202 Americans carry the last name Bollinger. That puts it at #3,046 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,962 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bollinger 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
13K
1 in 25,962
Census rank
#3,046
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,513 bearers of the surname Bollinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3046th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bollinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bollinger
The surname Bollinger originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Bollinger," which means "one who comes from Bollingen" or "one who is associated with the town of Bollingen." Bollingen is a small town located in the southern region of Germany, near the Swiss border.
The name Bollinger has been found in various historical records, including church registers and census documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to 1612, when a Johannes Bollinger was mentioned in the baptismal records of a church in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Although the Bollinger surname does not appear in major historical manuscripts like the Domesday Book, which primarily covered England and parts of Wales, it has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most prominent figures bearing this name was Georg Bollinger (1771-1838), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in his era.
Another notable individual with the Bollinger surname was Johann Jakob Bollinger (1798-1861), a Swiss entrepreneur and the founder of the world-renowned Champagne house Bollinger. He established the company in 1829 in the Champagne region of France, and it has since become one of the most prestigious and renowned producers of Champagne.
In the field of literature, Hans Bollinger (1904-1994) was a Swiss writer and novelist who gained recognition for his works depicting the rural life and culture of his native country. His novels, such as "Der Große Krieg" (The Great War) and "Der Sohn" (The Son), received critical acclaim and were translated into several languages.
Additionally, the name Bollinger has been associated with various place names and spellings throughout history. For instance, the town of Bollingen in Switzerland is believed to be derived from the same root as the surname Bollinger, and it has been spelled in various ways, such as Bolingen, Bollingen, and Bollinger, in different historical records.
Overall, the surname Bollinger has a rich history that can be traced back to its German origins, and it has been associated with notable individuals across various fields, including botany, entrepreneurship, literature, and more.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bollinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Bollinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bollinger 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 Bollinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 10,551
- Two or more races3.4% · 392
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 328
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 67
- Black or African American0.5% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bollinger
Bollinger 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
#2,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,425
+245 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#3,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,513
-912 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 3.85
Rank movement Down 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,713 | 12,180 | 4.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,891 | 12,425 | 4.21 | +245 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #3,046 | 11,513 | 3.85 | -912 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 155 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 Bollinger 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 | #2,891 | #3,046 | -5.4% |
| Count | 12,425 | 11,513 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.21 | 3.85 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bollinger bearers went from 12,425 to 11,513 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,891 to #3,046.
FAQ
Bollinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bollinger?
Name Census estimates that about 13,202 living Americans carry the surname Bollinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,962 residents.
How common is Bollinger?
Bollinger ranks #3,046 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,513 people with the surname Bollinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Bollinger.
Has Bollinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bollinger went from 12,425 recorded bearers to 11,513. That is a decrease of 912 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,891 to #3,046.
What does the Census say about the background of Bollinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bollinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bollinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (10,551 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bollinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Bollinger (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 Bollinger mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived near a grove of poplar trees. 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 Bollinger (3.85 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 share the surname Bollinger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.