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

Bulk, 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 Bulk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bulk in America

Bulk is the 90495th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bulk surname appeared 204 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 Bulk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bulk 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.

The history of the last name Bulk

The surname Bulk has its origins in the German language, derived from the Middle Low German word "bulk," which means "trunk" or "torso." This name likely emerged in northern Germany during the late medieval period, possibly as an occupational name for someone who worked with bulky or heavy objects or a descriptive nickname for a person with a large or sturdy build.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bulk can be found in the Bürgermatrikel (Citizen Register) of the city of Hamburg, where a certain Hans Bulk is mentioned in the year 1497. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the Bulk surname appears in various records across northern Germany, such as the church registers of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where a Hinrick Bulk was born in 1532 in the village of Hohenkirchen.

As German migrants settled in different parts of Europe and beyond, the name traveled with them. For instance, in the 17th century, a Hans Bulk is recorded as a resident of the Dutch city of Leiden in 1642.

One notable bearer of the Bulk surname was Johann Gottfried Bulk, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1685 to 1753. He was a professor at the University of Halle and authored several works on logic and metaphysics.

Another significant figure was Carl Bulk, a German military officer and writer who was born in 1796 and died in 1854. He served in the Prussian army and wrote several books on military strategy and tactics.

In the 19th century, the Bulk surname can be found in various parts of central and eastern Europe, likely due to the migration of German-speaking families. For example, a Maximilian Bulk was born in 1837 in the town of Bzenec, which was then part of the Austrian Empire (now in the Czech Republic).

The name Bulk has also been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Bulken in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which may have derived its name from the same linguistic root as the surname.

While the Bulk surname is not among the most common in the world, it has a long and interesting history, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural influences of German-speaking communities over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bulk

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

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 Bulk was:

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

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

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

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