2000
#8,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Borland
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "land at the fort" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,079 Americans carry the last name Borland. That puts it at #8,841 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Borland 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 Borland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,029
Census rank
#8,841
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,557 bearers of the surname Borland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8841st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Borland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Borland
The surname Borland is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old English words "bor" meaning "boar" and "land" meaning "land" or "territory." It is believed to have originated in the Lowlands of Scotland, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, where it was initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a area where wild boars roamed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Borland name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The name appears as "Boreland" in this document, suggesting that the spelling has evolved over time.
In the 16th century, the Borland family was prominent in the parish of Kilwinning, Ayrshire. John Borland, born around 1520, was a notable figure in the religious and political affairs of the region during the Scottish Reformation.
The Borland name is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Borland in Ayrshire and Borlandfield in Lanarkshire. These locations likely derived their names from the Borland family who had settled or owned land in those areas.
One of the most famous individuals with the Borland surname was Robert Borland (1808-1869), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the town of Borland, Pennsylvania, and contributed significantly to the development of the region's infrastructure and education system.
Other notable individuals with the Borland surname include:
1. John Borland (1680-1756), a Scottish merchant and landowner in Ayrshire.
2. David Borland (1770-1842), a Scottish-born American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.
3. James Borland (1822-1900), a Scottish-born American businessman and founder of Borland's Carriage Factory in St. Louis, Missouri.
4. Philippe Borland (1969-), a Belgian professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 28 in the world.
5. Andrew Borland (1981-), a Scottish professional golfer who has competed on the European Tour.
While the Borland name has been present in historical records for centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rugged landscapes of Scotland, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for those who lived in areas inhabited by wild boars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Borland
Among Census respondents with the surname Borland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Borland 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 Borland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 3,135
- Two or more races4.0% · 144
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 134
- Black or African American2.4% · 84
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Borland
Borland 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
#8,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,014
+307 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#8,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,557
-457 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,223 | 3,707 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,253 | 4,014 | 1.36 | +307 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #8,841 | 3,557 | 1.19 | -457 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 588 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 Borland 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 | #8,253 | #8,841 | -7.1% |
| Count | 4,014 | 3,557 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.19 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Borland bearers went from 4,014 to 3,557 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 588 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,253 to #8,841.
FAQ
Borland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Borland?
Name Census estimates that about 4,079 living Americans carry the surname Borland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,029 residents.
How common is Borland?
Borland ranks #8,841 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,557 people with the surname Borland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,079), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Borland.
Has Borland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Borland went from 4,014 recorded bearers to 3,557. That is a decrease of 457 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,253 to #8,841.
What does the Census say about the background of Borland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Borland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Borland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (3,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Borland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Borland (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 Borland mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "land at the fort" in Old English. 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 Borland (1.19 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 Borland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.