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

Bulkley, 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 Bulkley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bulkley in America

Bulkley is the 20125th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bulkley surname appeared 1,327 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 Bulkley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bulkley 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 Bulkley

The surname BULKLEY originated from England in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "bulc" meaning "ridge" or "hill" and "leah" meaning "a clearing in a forest". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a ridge or hill in a clearing.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Robert de Bulkyleye from Cheshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not include any direct references to the BULKLEY name, but it does record several place names that may have influenced the surname's development, such as Buckley in Cheshire and Bulkeley in Shropshire.

In the 14th century, the BULKLEY surname emerged in various spellings, including Bulkylegh, Bulkeley, and Bulkley. One notable individual from this period was Sir Robert Bulkeley (c. 1300-1360), a Welsh landowner and military leader who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the BULKLEY name became more widespread across England and Wales. Reverend Edward Bulkley (1614-1696) was a prominent Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts in the 1630s and founded the town of Concord, New Hampshire. Another notable figure was Sir Richard Bulkeley (1585-1650), a Welsh soldier and landowner who served as Lord President of Conwy during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, Charles Bulkley (1719-1797) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and helped draft the Connecticut Constitution. John Bulkley (1738-1831) was a British army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.

During the 19th century, the BULKLEY name was found in various parts of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. One notable individual was Reverend Peter Bulkley (1783-1859), a prominent Baptist minister and educator who founded several schools and colleges in Virginia and North Carolina.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bulkley

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

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

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

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