2000
#10,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,833
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Bollman
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of catapult ammunition, derived from "Bollemann".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,902 Americans carry the last name Bollman. That puts it at #11,826 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,110 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bollman 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
2.9K
1 in 118,110
Census rank
#11,826
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,531 bearers of the surname Bollman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11826th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bollman
The surname Bollman has its origins in medieval Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "bolle," which referred to a rounded, bulbous object. This word likely evolved into a nickname for someone of a stout or plump stature.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Bollman name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to 1287. This document references a certain "Henricus Bollman" in the town of Borna.
In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Bolman" and "Bollemann," began to appear in various records across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Bremen. It is possible that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname for someone involved in the production or handling of rounded objects, such as cannonballs or other spherical items.
During the 16th century, the Bollman surname gained prominence in the city of Hamburg, where records show several individuals bearing this name, including a merchant named Johann Bollman (1529-1598) and a shipbuilder named Hans Bollman (1571-1639).
In the 17th century, the name spread further across Europe, with notable examples including the German writer and philosopher Christian Bollmann (1640-1712) and the Swedish mathematician and engineer Jacob Bollmann (1672-1744).
As the Bollman family continued to expand and migrate, the name found its way to other parts of the world, including the Americas. One notable figure was the German-American physician and politician Lewis C. Bollmann (1816-1892), who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate.
Other prominent individuals with the Bollman surname include the German-American civil engineer Wendell Bollman (1814-1884), known for his innovative designs of iron bridges, and the American naval officer Charles H. Bollman (1847-1917), who played a significant role in the Spanish-American War.
Throughout its history, the Bollman surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, as well as in areas with significant German immigration, such as the United States and other parts of North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bollman
Among Census respondents with the surname Bollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bollman 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 Bollman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,347
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 71
- Two or more races2.8% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bollman
Bollman 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
#10,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,110
+277 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 56 places
2020
#11,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,531
-579 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 1,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,421 | 2,833 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,365 | 3,110 | 1.05 | +277 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 56 places |
| 2020 | #11,826 | 2,531 | 0.85 | -579 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 1,461 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 Bollman 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 | #10,365 | #11,826 | -14.1% |
| Count | 3,110 | 2,531 | -18.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.85 | -19.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bollman bearers went from 3,110 to 2,531 (-18.6% change). The surname moved down 1,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,365 to #11,826.
FAQ
Bollman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bollman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,902 living Americans carry the surname Bollman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,110 residents.
How common is Bollman?
Bollman ranks #11,826 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,531 people with the surname Bollman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,902), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Bollman.
Has Bollman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bollman went from 3,110 recorded bearers to 2,531. That is a decrease of 579 (-18.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,365 to #11,826.
What does the Census say about the background of Bollman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bollman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Bollman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,347 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bollman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (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 Bollman (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 Bollman mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of catapult ammunition, derived from "Bollemann". 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 Bollman (0.85 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 have the last name Bollman?
See how many people are called Bollman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.