Bulawa last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bulawa

Polish surname derived from "buława" meaning a ceremonial staff or baton.

Bulawa, 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 Bulawa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bulawa in America

Bulawa is the 120901st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bulawa surname appeared 143 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bulawa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bulawa 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 120901 122534 -1.34%
Count 143 130 9.52%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.05 0.00%

The history of the last name Bulawa

The surname BULAWA is of Polish origin, traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Polish word "bulawa," which refers to a ceremonial mace or club carried by military commanders and high-ranking officials as a symbol of authority.

The name's earliest known records can be found in historical documents from the region of Lesser Poland, particularly in the areas around the cities of Krakow and Tarnow. It is believed that the name was initially associated with individuals who held positions of power or authority, either within the military or civil administration.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BULAWA can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the Jagiellonian University archives, which mentions a certain "Jan Bulawa" as a prominent landowner in the Krakow region. This suggests that the name had already gained some recognition and prominence by that time.

In the 17th century, the name BULAWA appears in the records of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, particularly among the szlachta (Polish nobility). Several notable individuals with this surname served in the military and held influential positions during this period, such as Mikołaj Bulawa (1610-1678), a renowned cavalry commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish War.

Another figure of historical significance was Franciszek Bulawa (1745-1812), a Polish general who served under Tadeusz Kościuszko during the Kosciuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794. His bravery and leadership earned him a place in the annals of Polish military history.

The name BULAWA also gained recognition in the literary world, with the famous Polish writer and playwright Józef Bulawa (1835-1901) leaving a lasting legacy through his works, which often explored themes of national identity and socio-political issues.

In the 20th century, the BULAWA surname continued to be associated with notable individuals, such as Kazimierz Bulawa (1888-1942), a Polish lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the resistance movement during World War II.

Throughout its history, the surname BULAWA has maintained a strong connection to its origins, reflecting the values of leadership, authority, and military prowess that were once associated with the ceremonial mace from which it derives its name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bulawa

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

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 Bulawa was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.50% 138
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Bulawa has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.50% 97.69% -1.23%
Black 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Bulawa last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bulawa-surname-popularity/.

"Bulawa last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bulawa-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 July, 2025

Bulawa last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bulawa-surname-popularity/.

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