2000
#12,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,337
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Bourland
A habitational surname derived from a place in France, likely referring to someone from a "bour" (fortified town).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,549 Americans carry the last name Bourland. That puts it at #13,176 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bourland 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
2.5K
1 in 134,466
Census rank
#13,176
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,223 bearers of the surname Bourland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13176th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bourland
The surname Bourland originated in France during the medieval period, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old French words "bour," meaning a small village or hamlet, and "land," referring to a cultivated or arable land. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a small village or hamlet surrounded by farmland.
The earliest recorded instances of the Bourland name can be traced back to the northern regions of France, particularly in areas such as Normandy, Picardy, and the Île-de-France region. The name appears in various historical documents, including parish records, tax rolls, and land registries from that period.
One notable historical figure bearing the Bourland surname was Jean Bourland, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 15th century. He was born around 1410 and died in the Battle of Castillon in 1453, which marked the end of the war.
Another early bearer of the name was Pierre Bourland, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Rouen, Normandy, in the 16th century. He was born in 1520 and died in 1589, and his name appears in several local records and documents related to his business dealings and property ownership.
In the 17th century, the Bourland name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Germany, likely due to migration and trade. One notable individual was Hans Bourland, a Dutch merchant who established trade connections between the Netherlands and France in the mid-1600s.
As the Bourland name continued to disperse across Europe, it also found its way to the British Isles. One of the earliest recorded instances in England was William Bourland, a landowner and farmer who lived in the county of Wiltshire in the late 17th century. He was born in 1660 and died in 1725.
Another noteworthy figure was Marie Bourland, a French-born woman who became a prominent figure in the American Revolution. She was born in 1752 and immigrated to the American colonies in the late 18th century, where she worked as a spy and messenger for the Continental Army during the war.
These are just a few examples of individuals who carried the Bourland surname throughout history, and the name has continued to be present in various parts of the world, with its origins rooted in the medieval villages and farms of northern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bourland
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bourland 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 Bourland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 1,931
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 143
- Two or more races4.0% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 26
- Black or African American0.9% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bourland
Bourland 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
#12,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,380
+43 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 695 places
2020
#13,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,223
-157 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,221 | 2,337 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,916 | 2,380 | 0.81 | +43 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 695 places |
| 2020 | #13,176 | 2,223 | 0.74 | -157 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 260 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 Bourland 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 | #12,916 | #13,176 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,380 | 2,223 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.74 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bourland bearers went from 2,380 to 2,223 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 260 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,916 to #13,176.
FAQ
Bourland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bourland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,549 living Americans carry the surname Bourland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,466 residents.
How common is Bourland?
Bourland ranks #13,176 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,223 people with the surname Bourland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Bourland.
Has Bourland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bourland went from 2,380 recorded bearers to 2,223. That is a decrease of 157 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,916 to #13,176.
What does the Census say about the background of Bourland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bourland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (1,931 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bourland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Bourland (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 Bourland mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place in France, likely referring to someone from a "bour" (fortified town). 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 Bourland (0.74 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 are called Bourland?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Bourland is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.