2000
#9,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Bolyard
A surname of French origin referring to someone who worked as a cupbearer or wine steward.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,617 Americans carry the last name Bolyard. That puts it at #9,801 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bolyard 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
3.6K
1 in 94,762
Census rank
#9,801
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,154 bearers of the surname Bolyard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9801st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bolyard
The surname Bolyard is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period, potentially derived from the Old French words "boille" (bubble) and "yard" (yard or garden). This combination suggests an association with someone who lived near or worked with bubbling springs or fountains in a yard or garden area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Willelmus Boillart, whose name likely evolved into the modern spelling of Bolyard over the centuries.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Boillard, Boilliard, and Boillard. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
In the 13th century, records from the French region of Normandy mention a nobleman named Robert Boillard, who held substantial land holdings and was known for his contributions to the local community.
During the 16th century, the Bolyard surname gained prominence in England, where it was associated with a family of merchants and landowners. One notable figure was Sir William Bolyard (1542-1612), a successful trader and philanthropist who founded several schools and hospitals in London.
In the 17th century, the Bolyard name found its way to the American colonies, with several families settling in the Mid-Atlantic region. Among them was John Bolyard (1625-1698), a farmer and early settler in what is now Pennsylvania.
Another significant figure in the history of the Bolyard name was Marie-Anne Bolyard (1768-1842), a French horticulturist and botanist renowned for her work in cultivating and documenting rare plant species.
During the 19th century, the Bolyard surname gained recognition in the literary world with the publication of "The Bolyard Chronicles," a series of historical novels written by James Bolyard (1824-1898), chronicling the adventures of his ancestors during the American Revolutionary War.
The name Bolyard has also been associated with various locations and place names throughout history, such as Boillard Creek in Arkansas and Bolyard Hill in West Virginia, further solidifying its geographical and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bolyard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bolyard 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 Bolyard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,975
- Two or more races3.2% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bolyard
Bolyard 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
#9,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,235
+131 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 361 places
2020
#9,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,154
-81 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,608 | 3,104 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,969 | 3,235 | 1.10 | +131 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 361 places |
| 2020 | #9,801 | 3,154 | 1.06 | -81 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 168 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 Bolyard 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 | #9,969 | #9,801 | 1.7% |
| Count | 3,235 | 3,154 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.06 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bolyard bearers went from 3,235 to 3,154 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,969 to #9,801.
FAQ
Bolyard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bolyard?
Name Census estimates that about 3,617 living Americans carry the surname Bolyard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,762 residents.
How common is Bolyard?
Bolyard ranks #9,801 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,154 people with the surname Bolyard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,617), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Bolyard.
Has Bolyard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bolyard went from 3,235 recorded bearers to 3,154. That is a decrease of 81 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,969 to #9,801.
What does the Census say about the background of Bolyard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bolyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bolyard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,975 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bolyard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Bolyard (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 Bolyard mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone who worked as a cupbearer or wine steward. 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 Bolyard (1.06 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 common is the surname Bolyard?
See how many people have the surname Bolyard on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.