Bulen last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Bulen

A surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from the town of Bulen.

Bulen, 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 Bulen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bulen in America

Bulen is the 68547th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bulen surname appeared 287 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 Bulen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bulen 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 68547 55849 20.42%
Count 287 343 -17.78%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.13 -26.09%

The history of the last name Bulen

The surname BULEN originated in Germany in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "buol" meaning "hill" or "mound". This suggests that early bearers of the name may have lived near a notable hill or elevation.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the records of the town of Augsburg in 1154, where one Cunrat Buolen is listed as a landowner. This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames in their early days before standardization.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various manorial records across southern Germany, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis from 1275 which mentions a "Henricus de Bulen" as a witness to a land transaction.

An early notable bearer of the name was Johannes Bulen (1468-1537), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and helped spread Luther's teachings throughout Germany.

Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Bulen (1581-1653), a German military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War. He served under Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and was instrumental in several key victories against the Imperial forces.

In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to the Netherlands, likely due to the close proximity and cultural ties between the two regions. One of the earliest recorded Dutch bearers was Pieter Bulen (1522-1590), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from Amsterdam.

The name also has a connection to place names, with the village of Bülen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg likely taking its name from an early bearer of the surname.

Other notable figures with the surname BULEN include:

  1. Heinrich Bulen (1634-1701), a German architect known for his work on various churches and public buildings in the Baroque style.

  2. Anna Bulen (1725-1803), a German writer and feminist who advocated for women's education and rights during the Enlightenment period.

  3. Karl Bulen (1856-1932), a German explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in central Africa.

  4. Erich Bulen (1901-1977), a German-American physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project and made important contributions to the development of nuclear weapons.

  5. Ingrid Bulen (born 1945), a German soprano opera singer who has performed at major opera houses around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bulen

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

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 Bulen was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.12% 273
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
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 (S)% (S)
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 Bulen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.12% 93.00% 2.25%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% 2.92% (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 Bulen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Bulen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 11, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bulen-surname-popularity/.

"Bulen last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bulen-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 July, 2025

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

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