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

Boulanger, 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 Boulanger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boulanger in America

Boulanger is the 12208th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boulanger surname appeared 2,551 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Boulanger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boulanger 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 Boulanger

The surname Boulanger originates from France and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "boulanger", meaning "baker". The name likely emerged as an occupational surname for those involved in the baking trade.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval French records and documents. One notable example is a mention of a Petrus Boulanger in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195. This suggests the name had already established itself in parts of England by the late 12th century.

Several places in France share names derived from "boulanger", such as Boulangeresse and Boulangerie, indicating areas where bakers or bakeries were prominent features. The name Boulanger appeared in various spellings, including Boulenger and Boulengier, in different regions of France and neighboring areas throughout the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Boulanger, a 14th-century French architect and sculptor who worked on the construction of the Cathedral of Rouen in Normandy. Another notable figure was Nicolas Boulanger, a 16th-century French cartographer and cosmographer, born around 1510.

In the 17th century, Louis Boulanger (1609-1667) was a renowned French painter and etcher, known for his religious and mythological works. His son, Jean Boulanger (1646-1732), followed in his footsteps as a painter and was appointed as a professor at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.

During the 18th century, Nicolas-Antoine Boulanger (1722-1759) was a French philosopher and writer who significantly influenced the development of Enlightenment thought. His work "Antiquité dévoilée par ses usages" (published posthumously in 1766) challenged traditional religious beliefs and advocated for a more rational approach to understanding the origins of human civilization.

Throughout its long history, the surname Boulanger has been associated with various professions, from bakers and artisans to artists, scholars, and philosophers. Its French roots and occupational origins have left an indelible mark on the name's significance and cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boulanger

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

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

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

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