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

Bolton, 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 Bolton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bolton in America

Bolton is the 1068th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bolton surname appeared 32,815 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Bolton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bolton 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.

The history of the last name Bolton

The surname Bolton is of Anglo-Saxon origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period in England. The name derives from the Old English words "bold" meaning "dwelling" and "tun" meaning "town" or "enclosure". It is believed to have originated as a place name referring to a settlement or fortified town.

Bolton is a common place name in England, with towns and villages bearing this name found across various counties, including Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Northumberland, and Yorkshire. The earliest recorded reference to the name Bolton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Boulton" and "Bodelton".

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bolton was Robert de Bolton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1194. Another notable figure was William Bolton, a 14th-century English prelate who served as Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1333 to 1363.

During the Tudor period, Sir Richard Bolton (c. 1570-1648) was a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1639 to 1648. In the realm of literature, Edmund Bolton (1575-1634) was an English historian, philosopher, and scholar known for his work "Hypercritica" (1618).

In the 18th century, Robert Bolton (1691-1763) was an English clergyman and author who wrote the influential book "A Treatise on Comforting Afflicted Consciences" (1631). During the same period, Sarah Bolton (1714-1795) was a renowned English actress who performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Another notable individual with the surname Bolton was Sarah Knowles Bolton (1841-1916), an American author, and journalist who wrote extensively on women's issues and social reform. She is particularly known for her book "Famous Leaders Among Men" (1889), which celebrated the achievements of notable women throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bolton

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

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 Bolton was:

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

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

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

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