2000
#4,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.90
Rare Last name
Bounds
A surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary or on the outskirts of a settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,744 Americans carry the last name Bounds. That puts it at #4,523 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,199 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bounds 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 Bounds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,199
Census rank
#4,523
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,625 bearers of the surname Bounds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4523rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bounds, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bounds
The surname BOUNDS has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "bunde," which referred to a boundary or boundary marker. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near a boundary or worked as a boundary surveyor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Richard de la Bunde is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the French influence on the name's evolution.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Bunde, Bounde, and Boundes, reflecting the fluidity of spelling during that time. One notable example is John de la Bunde, who is listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1248.
The BOUNDS surname also has connections to place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Bound's Green in the London Borough of Haringey, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname who owned land or resided in the area.
As the name spread throughout England, it gained further variations, including Bound, Boundes, and Boundys. In the 14th century, a John Boundys is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
Several notable individuals have borne the BOUNDS surname throughout history. One example is Sir William Bounds (1563-1622), an English merchant and philanthropist who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1617. Another is Reverend Philip Bounds (1670-1747), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
In the 19th century, Robert Bounds (1802-1884) was a British architect known for designing several churches and other buildings in London. Additionally, Edwin Bounds (1836-1900) was a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire from 1892 to 1900.
The BOUNDS surname has also been prominent in the United States. One notable figure was Samuel Bounds (1827-1911), an American Baptist preacher and author who wrote several influential books on prayer and spiritual life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bounds
Among Census respondents with the surname Bounds, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bounds 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 Bounds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 6,064
- Black or African American11.6% · 886
- Two or more races4.5% · 341
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 250
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bounds
Bounds 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
#4,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,960
+138 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#4,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,625
-335 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,202 | 7,822 | 2.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,457 | 7,960 | 2.70 | +138 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #4,523 | 7,625 | 2.55 | -335 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 66 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 Bounds 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 | #4,457 | #4,523 | -1.5% |
| Count | 7,960 | 7,625 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.70 | 2.55 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bounds bearers went from 7,960 to 7,625 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,457 to #4,523.
FAQ
Bounds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bounds?
Name Census estimates that about 8,744 living Americans carry the surname Bounds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,199 residents.
How common is Bounds?
Bounds ranks #4,523 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,625 people with the surname Bounds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,744), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bounds.
Has Bounds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bounds went from 7,960 recorded bearers to 7,625. That is a decrease of 335 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,457 to #4,523.
What does the Census say about the background of Bounds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bounds, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bounds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (6,064 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bounds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Black (11.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Bounds (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 Bounds mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary or on the outskirts of a settlement. 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 Bounds (2.55 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 Bounds?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Bounds at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.