2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Bulda
An archaic German surname derived from the Middle Low German word "bul" meaning bull.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Bulda. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bulda 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Bulda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bulda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Hispanic (10.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bulda
The surname BULDA is of Polish origin, emerging in the 16th century from the region of Pomerania, now part of modern-day Poland and Germany. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "buda," meaning a small, simple dwelling or hut, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in such a modest abode or perhaps even a builder of such structures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BULDA surname can be found in the historic records of the town of Gdańsk, formerly known as Danzig, where a merchant named Jan BULDA is mentioned in a trade document from 1587. A few decades later, in 1632, a Marcin BULDA is listed as a landowner in the nearby village of Puck.
In the 18th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Poland, with records showing a Tomasz BULDA born in 1724 in the town of Bydgoszcz. Another notable early bearer of the BULDA name was Franciszek BULDA, a respected artisan and woodcarver from the city of Kraków, who lived from 1752 to 1819.
As the centuries progressed, the BULDA surname continued to be found across Poland, with various spellings and variations emerging, such as Buldau, Buldow, and Buldowski. One particularly noteworthy individual was Józef BULDA (1856-1932), a renowned Polish painter and professor of art who taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków.
Other historical figures who bore the BULDA surname include Ignacy BULDA (1879-1945), a Polish politician and member of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, in the early 20th century. There was also Helena BULDA (1901-1988), a respected Polish teacher and educator who helped establish several schools in the city of Łódź.
While the BULDA name may not be among the most common Polish surnames, its long history and presence across various regions of the country attest to its enduring legacy as a distinctive part of Poland's cultural and historical tapestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bulda
Among Census respondents with the surname Bulda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Hispanic (10.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Bulda 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 Bulda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander71.0% · 76
- White15.0% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 11
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bulda
Bulda appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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 Bulda 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 | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bulda bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Bulda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bulda?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Bulda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Bulda?
Bulda ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Bulda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bulda.
Has Bulda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bulda went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Bulda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bulda, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.0%. The next largest groups are White (15.0%) and Hispanic (10.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bulda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bulda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (71.0%), White (15.0%), Hispanic (10.3%). 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 Bulda (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 Bulda mean?
An archaic German surname derived from the Middle Low German word "bul" meaning bull. 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 Bulda (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Bulda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.