2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bulic
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "Bulgar" or someone from Bulgaria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Bulic. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bulic 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Bulic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bulic, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bulic
The surname Bulic has its origins in Croatia, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Croatian word "bulji," which means "to stare" or "to gaze fixedly." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a distinctive way of looking or staring.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the Dalmatian region of Croatia. One notable example is a mention of a Bulic family in the records of the city of Split, which dates back to the late 1500s.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name appears in several church records and census documents from the towns and villages around the coastal areas of Dalmatia. This indicates that the Bulic surname was well-established in this region during this period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Bulic was Antun Bulic, a Catholic priest and archaeologist who lived from 1846 to 1922. He was a prominent figure in the study of Croatian history and archaeology, particularly in the city of Salona, an ancient Roman settlement near Split.
Another notable bearer of the name was Frane Bulic, a Croatian writer and poet who was born in 1846 and died in 1901. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern Croatian literature and was known for his works inspired by the Dalmatian landscape and culture.
In the 19th century, the Bulic surname also appears in records from other parts of Croatia, such as the regions of Lika and Istria. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original Dalmatian heartland.
One of the most famous individuals with the Bulic surname in recent history was Ante Bulic, a Croatian football player who played as a defender for several clubs in Croatia and abroad. He was born in 1962 and represented the Croatian national team in the 1990s.
Another notable figure was Tonko Bulic, a Croatian politician and member of the Croatian Parliament, who was born in 1943 and served as a representative for the city of Split.
While the Bulic surname is primarily associated with Croatia, it can also be found in various parts of the world where Croatian immigrants have settled, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bulic
Among Census respondents with the surname Bulic, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bulic 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 Bulic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bulic
Bulic 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-15 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,486 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 14,486 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 Bulic 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 | #136,449 | #150,935 | -10.6% |
| Count | 123 | 108 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bulic bearers went from 123 to 108 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 14,486 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #150,935.
FAQ
Bulic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bulic?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Bulic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Bulic?
Bulic ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Bulic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Bulic.
Has Bulic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bulic went from 123 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Bulic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bulic, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Bulic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bulic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (1.9%). 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 Bulic (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 Bulic mean?
A surname of Croatian origin meaning "Bulgar" or someone from Bulgaria. 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 Bulic (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 people are called Bulic?
See how common the surname Bulic is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.