2000
#12,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,318
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Bolte
Derived from a German nickname meaning "the stout" or "the bold," referring to a fearless or audacious person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,532 Americans carry the last name Bolte. That puts it at #13,246 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,369 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolte 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
2.5K
1 in 135,369
Census rank
#13,246
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,208 bearers of the surname Bolte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13246th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolte, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bolte
The surname Bolte is of German origin, with its earliest roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated as a nickname or occupational name derived from the Middle Low German word "bolt," meaning a bolt or bar used in construction or fortification.
In the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from one's occupation, physical characteristics, or place of residence. The name Bolte may have been given to an individual who worked with bolts or bars, perhaps as a locksmith, a blacksmith, or a builder of fortifications.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bolte can be found in various German regions, including Lower Saxony, Westphalia, and the Rhineland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Bolte, a merchant from Lübeck, who was mentioned in records dating back to the 14th century.
Over time, the name Bolte spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like the Netherlands and Denmark. Variations of the spelling, such as Bolt, Bolten, and Boldt, also emerged.
Historically, the name Bolte has been associated with several notable figures. Heinrich Bolte (1585-1661) was a German jurist and author who served as a councilor and syndic in Lübeck. Johann Friedrich Bolte (1806-1879) was a German historian and archivist who made significant contributions to the study of medieval German literature.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Georg Bolte (1875-1959), a German philologist and folklore scholar who specialized in the study of fairy tales and folk narratives. His work, including the compilation of the influential "Anmerkungen zu den Kinder- und Hausmärchen der Brüder Grimm" (Notes on the Children's and Household Tales of the Brothers Grimm), is widely recognized in the field of folklore studies.
In the arts, Johannes Bolte (1920-1995) was a German painter and graphic artist known for his abstract and constructivist works. His works have been exhibited in various galleries and museums across Europe.
The name Bolte has also been found in places like the United States, where it was likely brought by German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American bearer of the name was Charles Bolte (1896-1962), a businessman and philanthropist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who contributed significantly to the city's cultural and educational institutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolte
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolte, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolte 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 Bolte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,036
- Two or more races2.9% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 58
- Black or African American1.4% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolte
Bolte 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
#11,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,629
+311 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 395 places
2020
#13,246
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,208
-421 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,302 | 2,318 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,907 | 2,629 | 0.89 | +311 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 395 places |
| 2020 | #13,246 | 2,208 | 0.74 | -421 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 1,339 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 Bolte 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 | #11,907 | #13,246 | -11.2% |
| Count | 2,629 | 2,208 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.74 | -17.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolte bearers went from 2,629 to 2,208 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 1,339 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,907 to #13,246.
FAQ
Bolte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolte?
Name Census estimates that about 2,532 living Americans carry the surname Bolte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,369 residents.
How common is Bolte?
Bolte ranks #13,246 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,208 people with the surname Bolte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,532), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Bolte.
Has Bolte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolte went from 2,629 recorded bearers to 2,208. That is a decrease of 421 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,907 to #13,246.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolte, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bolte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,036 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bolte (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 Bolte mean?
Derived from a German nickname meaning "the stout" or "the bold," referring to a fearless or audacious person. 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 Bolte (0.74 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 surname Bolte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.