2000
#994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,995
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.86
Uncommon Last name
Bolton
An English toponymic surname derived from any of the places named Bolton, meaning "settlement with a bolt-on".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,932 Americans carry the last name Bolton. That puts it at #1,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,539 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolton 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 Bolton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,539
Census rank
#1,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,334 bearers of the surname Bolton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolton
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolton 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 Bolton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 22,122
- Black or African American20.7% · 6,495
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,312
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,001
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 246
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 158
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolton
Bolton 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
#1,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,815
+820 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 11.12
Rank movement Down 74 places
2020
#1,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,334
-1,481 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 10.48
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #994 | 31,995 | 11.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,068 | 32,815 | 11.12 | +820 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 74 places |
| 2020 | #1,103 | 31,334 | 10.48 | -1,481 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 35 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 Bolton 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 | #1,068 | #1,103 | -3.3% |
| Count | 32,815 | 31,334 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 11.12 | 10.48 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolton bearers went from 32,815 to 31,334 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,068 to #1,103.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bolton
FAQ
Bolton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolton?
Name Census estimates that about 35,932 living Americans carry the surname Bolton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,539 residents.
How common is Bolton?
Bolton ranks #1,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,334 people with the surname Bolton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,932), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Bolton.
Has Bolton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolton went from 32,815 recorded bearers to 31,334. That is a decrease of 1,481 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,068 to #1,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolton, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bolton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (22,122 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (20.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bolton (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 Bolton mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from any of the places named Bolton, meaning "settlement with a bolt-on". 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 Bolton (10.48 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 Bolton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.